Track of the Day: ‘Familiar Foe’ by The Sounds Of URSA
- James Shipsides
- Oct 6, 2020
- 4 min read
Track: Familiar Foe
Band/Artist: The Sounds Of URSA
Genre/s: Singer/Songwriter/ Piano/ Folk/Alternative
Listening Platform: Bandcamp
Today’s track of the day, is from The Sounds Of URSA, the alias of Singer, Pianist and composer, Helen Stanley, based in my old stomping ground of Bristol, England. This tune is taken from the ‘Patience Panacea EP’ which I will be reviewing in it’s entirety, sometime before my winter-hiatus.
Although I had previously watched the video of U R S A tune, ‘Forbidden’, I decided to go into my review of ‘Familar Foe’ without listening to it. This isn’t something I usually do. I will have listened multiple times before hand to something I’m reviewing. Not this time though. I thought it would be nice to go in ‘cold’. I also notice on The Bandcamp page of The Sounds of URSA that there’s a lot of detailed info about presumably the album, songs and so on. It’s not often an act provides such detail and I’m deliberately not looking at it- I’ll read it all after my review. I don’t want anything to influence my words apart from the music. On with the review!
This tune starts with a instant setting of mood. It’s a sad but gentle atmosphere conveyed by the melancholic and slow piano keys, which are low and convey an air of shattered emotion- well that’s how I interpret it. Much like French classical pianist of old, Erik Satie, I’m always pretty sure what emotion he was trying to convey in different pieces; with ‘Familiar Foe’ it’s no different. String tones play in complete contrast to the piano in pitch, but help convey the feeling here. I get little mental landscapes to go with the music, ‘emotion dioramas’, created by the soundscape. It’s the kind of response I get to classical music or Jazz. The instruments themselves are almost soundtrack-like. There’s that quality and robust feel here- it’s emotional, very similar to the soundtracks of arthouse Indie Flicks from the 90s- the score of Hal Hartley’s ‘Amateur’ comes to mind. I immediately get the feeling that one or more of the musicians are classically trained. The players have that considered restraint that classical players have. Like, again, another classical pianist, Ludovico Einaudi, The Sounds of Ursa are frugal when they need to be. I’m sure these musicians, like again, Einaudi, could blast out on keys and strings some fast, flamboyant flourishes, but they choose not to. There is that creative self-control present.
The tune softly meanders and thrives. There’s a feeling of scale and space in the recording, I can almost detect the size of the recording environment- it’s expansive. This may be a carefully crafted illusion, but it again brings me back to the cinematic ambience and scale this tune possesses. Layers of instrumentation swell the song out as soft drums and warm bass drift in. The vocals are in a symbiosis with the piano, completely locked in- like two experienced guitarists completely complementing each other. The voice is soft, smooth, at times soul-like, in other little flourishes, it glides into folk, then into an ethereal timbre, consistent with a DreamPop singer. It’s never derivative though and has a unique character, maybe melancholic, but with a richness to the way it flows. The lyrics have a darkness to them, but are delivered with sadness, but also an emotional warmth. At times, the vocal delivery reminds me of another Bristol-Based artist, Gravenhurst, aka the late Nick Talbot, now regarded as a ‘Sadcore’ artist. The melody is so well crafted and this evolves, meandering and eddying, with a really versatile vocal palette painting mental pictures. Musically, there’s a little pause, as the piano sustains with some pretty twinkling key-flourishes, before vocals and instrumentation reinstate themselves.
There’s an instrumental passage which serves the listener so they can appreciate the instruments once more on their own. There’s no need for a violin, piano or guitar solo here. It’s all understated, keeping things consistent in mood. Something that I’ve noticed about this tune- the mix is so subtle that sometimes I can’t always tell what’s playing. My ears are usually keen at detecting little nuances of instruments. This is such sophisticated, well-realised, and executed music though, it’s like trying to unpick a orchestra. I think there may be the odd synth sound embedded here and there. There’s also a violin-like sound, but I know from listening to lots of US Folk-Punk it could be a musical saw- there’s little tells I think, but sometimes it best to lock in with a tune and just enjoy its beauty. There’s little musical comparisons that enter my head often when scrutinising music. Whether by design or not, I can almost detect nuances of a few 4AD acts here, singer/pianist Heidi Berry, the more piano based tones of Red House Painters and perhaps Kristen Hersh. All the instruments are given little moments to shine, without any air of dominance or self-indulgence. The piano is gentle, the violin-effect wistful, the drums understated and Jazz-like, the bass almost 70s Prog-like and really adding texture. There’s also rich and organic cello sounds, again, understated, but effective.
The music and emotion swell, peaking and troughing. There’s an air of an anticipation, not in musical terms as in a build up to a resolution, such as in a rock song, but more in a thematic sense, as in emotionally, a question perhaps as to where these emotions are going, what’s next in the story. There’s little, subtle cello and string sustains perhaps underpinning this. The musical and emotional journey are through. However, this tune is so multi-layered and so rich in emotion, in conveying a story full of feeling it demands multiple listens. I hope you will check it out and be effected in the same way I’ve experienced it, musically as a listener and emotionally, in a thought-provoking manner.⭐️
In the links below, you can listen to ‘Familiar Foe’ by The Sounds of URSA on Bandcamp. I’m also providing a link to YouTube where you can check out the music video.
As always, if you haven’t heard this music before, I hope you enjoy it!
🎼Listen to ‘Familiar Foe’ by The Sounds of URSA on Bandcamp: https://thesoundsofursa.bandcamp.com/album/patience-panacea-ep
📽Watch the music video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/t_iCdYgexLQ
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