The new album from Land of Talk is a very courageous effort on Elizabeth Powell’s part. After suffering from a polyp on her vocal chord right around the time she finished touring with Broken Social Scene, her most important instrument wasn’t available for use. She had to wait quite a long time until she could record again but it sounds like the waiting allowed her creative juices to flow in a slightly new way. Since the vocals weren’t there for her to hear in an organic matter, the melodies in her head had to stay there just a tad longer until she could strum them on the guitar or plunk them on the piano.
The album, Cloak and Cipher, continues the signature sound of Land of Talk but there are a few elements in there that get a special treatment this time around. When I say special treatment, I’m talking about elements that were always there on the past records but elements that were also not in the spotlight. On this release, there is a strong, obvious pop rock foundation and this pairing becomes an incredible force. “The Hate I Won’t Commit” is a head-banger and tracks such as “Blangee Blee” stretch her songwriting arches a little more.
Back in July, Powell and her band debuted a new song when they were featured in La Blogotheque’s Take Away Show. “Quarry Hymns” pointed everyone in the right direction to serve as a preview of the album’s sound and there is now an official video for the track. You can check it out below and also grab my favorite song off of Cloak and Cipher, “Blangee Blee.”
WILD TONIC 