Swimming Bell - Wild Sight
Today marks the release of Wild Sight, the new album from Swimming Bell, on Adventure Club Records. And it's an opulent gem.
Swimming Bell | Photo: Jud Muir
Swimming Bell is the solo project of Brooklyn folk singer Katie Schottland, who started writing music when she broke her foot in 2015. She taught herself basic chords from a chord sheet, beginning with Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon.” Bereft of formal musical training, she writes by ear.
Working with producer Oli Deakin since her debut EP, The Golden Heart, which garnered vast praise, Schottland began recording Wild Sight in Leeds, and completed the album in London and New York.
Wild Sight contains 10-tracks, beginning with “Good Time, Man,” opening on delicious drawling colors, followed by Schottland’s wonderfully rich, clear voice. The melody, full of creamy dreamy alt-folk echoes, is simply gorgeous, flowing with streaming savors.
Schottland’s voice delivers rapturous tones gliding with luscious persuasion.
Highlights on the album include “For Brinsley,” traveling on a delicate guitar accented by washes of synth colors and an eloquent steel guitar that infuses the tune with scrumptious twangy flavors of wistfulness. Schottland’s voice delivers rapturous tones gliding with luscious persuasion.
“Cold Clear Moon,” a song by Tomo Nakayama, features elegant guitar tones layered lightly with gentle sweeps of gossamer harmonies. A lingering steel guitar injects velvety yearning tendrils as the lush vocals flow like warm Velveeta. This is a sublimely beautiful song.
“Got Things” opens on stuttering hand claps seguing into a tantalizing shimmering tune full of elusive flavors. When the bass and drums enter, the tune takes on subtle flavors of alt-rock merging with undulating folk aromas. “Left Hand Path” is reminiscent of Joan Baez, only more exquisitely perfumed with diaphanous suffusions.
“Love Liked You” opens on austere, gentle tones and then takes on surging galvanizing hues, wafting languidly, as the steel guitar wails softly. As the harmonics swell, the music assumes glorious tints and layers of color and escalating resonance.
On Wild Sight, Swimming Bell displays not only her remarkable songwriting ability, but the range and crystalline timbres of her superb voice.
