Earth Bow doesn't just celebrate Earth and the nature within it, but reveals Sarah Louise as an artist, an individual, and a true lover of the outdoors. It's positive spirited, delightfully expressed, and sonically detailed.
Sarah Louise is always surrounded by nature. Living in the wilderness in Asheville, North Carolina, the guitarist and musician is always immersed within nature: hiking through trails, making herbal blends, gathering mushrooms. Sarah loves nature, our planet Earth, and all of the things it does for us. Her music has transformed and morphed over the years from twelve string guitar folk music (Field Guide) to ambient drone music (Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars) to wildly unpredictable combinations of the two. Her music is often psychedelic and kaleidoscopic. Other worldly would be another description but with her samples and themes of nature put into her music, I would say that her music is quite within this world. She can be collaborative with other musicians, but her music tends to be conceived from herself. You'd know a Sarah Louise project when you hear one. Earth Bow, her new self-produced and self-released album, is ultimately a Sarah Louise album, meaning that only Sarah could've made this record. Earth Bow is a celebration of Earth and all of its creations in a nutshell. It's positive spirited, delightfully expressed, and sonically detailed.
To my ears, Earth Bow is Sarah Louise's grand opus: her combinations of folk, pop, and electronic music coming together into a naturally beautiful blend of harmony. Before, you'd get different sounds and styles from different sides of the spectrum but Earth Bow is really where Sarah's influences, personality, and musical techniques all come together into this massive, cohesive showcase. The album's flow is incredible with each song melding into one another, acting like one cohesive story from start to finish. The album has a variety of different songs that can vary from one another. There are songs that feature dance music, psychedelic rock, art pop, drone music. Each track is a different flavor and any of these could be your favorite depending on your taste. For me, the majority of these are my favorites and it's quite tough to pick one. "Where the Owl Hums" smartly opens the album up with some heavy synths, plucky guitars, and some samples of owls hooting. Bonus points for sampling owl sounds, I love owls (they are my fave animal bro). "Jewel of the Blueridge" is a folkier number that features these shimmery chimes and bass that is oh so heavy.
Her vocal delivery and guitar playing, especially on tracks like "Mossy Slope" and "Earth Wakes Up," remind me that of Cate le Bon, who provides these dreamlike tones that have a rich, organic quality to them. "Mossy Slope" also features these janky, chirpy guitars and relaxed percussion that flow like a small, chilly river. "Summertime Moves Slow" acts as an extension to "Mossy Slope," continuing these droned synths that flow and intersect with some animal sounds and a lush guitar solo. "Earth Wakes Up" is the crown jewel of the record that has Sarah Louise expressing her appreciation for Earth, nature, animals, and the many wonders of this planet we are living in. "Your Dreams," the album's first single, features Sarah Louise's multilayered vocals over some swirling synths and marching band-styled percussion. "Surrender to the Night" is a gorgeous song that sounds like it is meant to be for star gazing, trekking on late night adventures throughout the outdoors. "If You Build a Pond the Frogs Will Come" is arguably the most accessible song on the record with its thumping beat, sprawling percussion, chanting singing, and infectious grooves. "Where Heron Fish at Dawn" is the track with the best grooves hands down. Its electronic grooves are very hypnotic and moving over the wailing guitars, ambient synths, and singing. It's quite the surprise to hear her over this dance-type groove, but it works really well and it's arguably one of my favorites of hers. "Healers Circle Up" is an appropriate closer and acts as a final act to the story with some cinematic beats, layered backing vocals, and flute playing.
Overall, I'm very impressed and pleased with Earth Bow. When I listened to her earlier albums years ago, I was really hoping for a record kind of like this: one that really meshes all of her strengths with folk guitar music and electronic music while bringing in her pop melodies and hooks too. It neatly features many of her well known traits while also adding many surprising elements and production within the mix. Being able to self produce and release it yourself is also an impressive feat. I've been quite excited for whatever she puts out musically lately, especially over the past year. Earth Bow is not just a record celebrating Earth and the nature within it, but one that really reveals Sarah Louise as an artist, an individual, and a true lover of Earth. While she's become immersed within the environment and ecosystem itself, Earth Bow is her sonic message directly to the listener, urging you to join her on this journey through the wilderness. Hopefully you can find your true meaning and purpose. I think Sarah Louise has.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Earth Wakes Up," "Your Dreams," "Surrender to the Night," "Where Heron Fish at Dawn," "If You Build a Pond the Frogs Will Come"
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