My Brightest Diamond returns to show the Indie world how a song should be written. Every sound is expertly placed and lyric wonderfully delivered. Shara Worden knows exactly when to sound strong and when to sound fragile. Take notice NPR, THIS is what you describe as 'lush'.
My Brightest Diamond - All Things Will Unwind (2011) – 8.5 / 10.0
Release Date: Oct. 11, 2011
Running Time: 42:14
Label: Asthmatic Kitty
Producer: Rob Moose, Shara Worden
Genre: Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Classical Fusion, Chamber Pop
Drug of Choice: Opiates, Wine
Key Tracks:
"Be Brave"
"There's A Rat"
"Everything Is In Line"
Compared in some circles to Regina Spektor and in some (slightly more correct) others to Tori Amos, Shara Worden as My Brightest Diamond has been quietly outperforming both over the last five years. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Worden's expert musical chops allow her to escape crutch characteristics like 'cute' or 'scary'. Instead, she can just be herself and let the music prove its worth. The result is fully-formed, dynamic records that satisfy on every level. With All Things Will Unwind, she outdoes herself. The vocal performances are perfectly paired with their arrangements and the storytelling is absolutely top-notch.
Of particular note is the way Worden pulls her various references together on All Things Will Unwind. "High Low Middle" is a jaunty Swing Jazz tune with full classical orchestral accompaniment and even an electric guitar solo. While that sort of fusion doesn't seem very out of place in today's fully globalized musical environment, Worden puts them together in a way that creates a wholly new and naturally fitting style of composition. The album's tip-top highlight, "Everything is in Line", is an Asian-influenced classical duet with upcoming songwriter DM Stith. This track would be a perfect fit on a Dirty Projectors release, but sports more finesse and polish than anything from that group (in a good way). The album closes with a melancholy "I Have Never Loved Someone" that sports Worden's slightly slanted perspective on Burt Bacharach.
In total, All Things Will Unwind is an album worth buying. This thing is a total experience from beginning to end. The 42 minutes you will spend here flies by and bears repeated listening. Typically a My Brightest Diamond record requires a particular mood or time of day to fit just right, but with this record I think Worden has broken out into anytime listening. That characteristic is all too lacking in the current Indie environment.
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Reviewer Stats:
Reviews - 31
Average Rating - 6.9
Highest Rating - 9.5 Blitzen Trapper's American Goldwing
Lowest Rating - 3.5 Ryan Adams Ashes & Fire
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