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| photo by Ash Dye |
When I was introduced to Chicago experimental rock duo Ohmme a couple years ago, I remember reading that singers/multi-instrumentalists Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart were accomplished musicians in their own right who kind of found each other and birthed the band. While just hearing how their voices and their guitars seamlessly intertwine is certainly enough to back up that assertion, I was surprised to discover that unlike Cunningham, Stewart hadn't released a solo album. Fortunately that changes with "Finally", the first single from Stewart's debut Mouth Full of Glass. "Finally" is an introspective reverie, simultaneously sparse and lush featuring collaborator Lia Kohl on cello, as Stewart effortlessly balances violin, guitar, and vocals. Even as the track builds in intensity, there's a pervasive gentleness both lyrically and in Stewart's arrangement, as Stewart gently takes herself to task - "I'm wrong and I know it, but not willing to show it", Stewart sings and it's the lightness of the delivery that sets the stage - Stewart doesn't need to be brusque or forceful to get her point across, her tenderness is reassuring in an of itself. "Finally" is a song about coming to face to face with realizations but avoids the obvious drama that could wrought from it with something a little more unexpected. It's a meditation on the self - and the track expands into a wider lens, a clearer picture like a thought taking shape. It's a graceful blooming that evolves into increasingly sensuous sounds and which Kohl perfectly encapsulates in lyric video she crafted for the song.
Macie Stewart's debut album Mouth Full of Glass is out September 24th on Orindal Records. You can pre-order the record on limited edition glass or black vinyl, cassette or digital here.