Music festivals are the best thing in the world, but also can be the worst. I find a couple months or even a couple years afterwards, I look back on who played and am hit with regret that I didn’t go see a certain band or artist. Last year at Osheaga, Little Scream was on my list of “wants” but a hot summers day and other bands resulted in me not seeing her.
Little Scream, aka Laurel Sprengelmeyer was born in Iowa and raised along the Mississippi River and now calls Montreal her home. On her debut album, a slew of Montreal based musicians lend their help. Little Scream plays guitar, vocals, violin, and keyboard on the album co-produced by Richard R. Parry (Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestre). Parry, Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestra), Pat McGee (Stars), Becky Foon (Silver Mt. Lion), Mike Fuerstack (Snailhouse), and Aaron Dessner (The National) all played on the album.
But enough about who played what. What really matters is the music content. What really carries this album is her vocal work. Whether it be the soft vocals of first single “Heron and the Fox” or something a little louder and more powerful like on “Cannons”. A lot of times the whole Canadian female singer/songwriter thing can get a little dry and repetitive, but Little Scream brings something different to the game on The Golden Record. There is enough lush instrumentation and sonic shifts to keep things sounding fresh. Despite the variety from song to song, at times over the 46 minute album it can be hard to stay focused on the album. Luckily there are enough golden nuggets throughout the course of the album to make it something worth spinning from opener “Amahl” to the closer “Hallowed”. A solid debut from a new artist full of potential.
You can head over to Outside Music for downloads of the stellar track “The Heron and the Fox” as well as “Cannons”.
The perfect album for a rainy day