Apart from the more obvious reference points, Aimee Mann certainly springs to mind, there is an ancient and compelling echo at the heart of “Bend to Break,” something deep down that connects this modern piece of indie-folk rock to the world of medieval musicology, choral traditions, and something pure, devotional perhaps, echoing a time before music was made for commercial reasons.
But as the song progresses, those glimpses of the past are gently cocooned in more contemporary yet no less delicate sounds. Lush guitars spiral up, washes of percussion crash and break over the song, and there is a slow but steady application of sonic weight. But it is a weight built through layers of sound, gossamer enough to allow the light to get through, yet, when taken together, creating something both substantial and serene…and seductive.
It’s a clever journey from folk traditions to cinematic rock, from the elegantly understated to the eloquently engaging. But all the way through, it is the vocals that hold you fast, warm and hazy, perfect for a song about the realization that you have been living in someone’s shadow and the feeling of freedom that results when you decide to change that situation.
It’s a song that, for want of a better term, shows it’s working out as it goes along. You can see how Pisgah builds the song from the ground up, you get to understand what each thread of the music brings to the whole, and you get to listen as the sonic pattern is woven. But even with everything laid out for you, I would defy anyone to match the gentle prowess and the deft delicacy of “Bend to Break.”
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