Anna McClellan - I saw first light ALBUM REVIEW

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In the state of the economy and overall country at this point, indie artists have been struggling to make money to essentially live off of. So, I decided to take a dive down Bandcamp and see what was new. Anna McClellan’s name kept popping up, and her name also appeared on my Twitter timeline a couple of days earlier. So, I decided to check out her newest record, I saw first light, and see what all this rage was about. Let’s get right into it!

I saw first light is an indie album with rock, folk, singer-songwriter, and alternative undertones. While I do like considering albums as a whole piece of art, this album is a bit of an enigma. Each of these songs feel like little stories more than an overall story, but also make up this big, indie film adjacent experience that’s very unique. The track “Raisin” has a playful instrumental that has a sense of freedom and “Gone” has these beautiful violin passages that remind me of some classic Loretta Lynn. Those are my two favorite tracks on here, but the thing that’s constant on this record is McClellan’s breathy delivery. While the production feels widescreen, Anna’s vocals and writing feel very intimate, like she’s trying to connect to the outside world, and the story (or stories) told fit the exact aesthetic that the album is going for. It all feels incredibly sincere and genuine.

I saw first light is a look into an outcast trying to connect to the world, and it’s a pretty common thing to relate to, but Anna McClellan’s storytelling and performance sell this body of work as entries into a diary of someone trying to do better in life. While I think I’ve heard catchier examples, this is definitely an example of substance over style in the best way possible.


7/10


Stream I saw first light here

Spotify

Apple Music

YouTube Music

Bandcamp (to support McClellan directly)



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