Clara Mann – ‘Rift’ album review: spring has officially sprung and this is the soundtrack
THE SKINNY: Clara Mann’s debut album feels almost as though it’s arrived in deliberate timing. As the warm sun leaks through the cracks in our curtains, bringing long-awaited signs of optimism, Clara Mann descends with it like a songbird ringing at the start of spring. Through a bleak winter, she endures the long-lasting pain of break-ups and isolation, to emerge re-energised come the reappearance of light and delivers a take on her experience with melodic delicacy and harmonic complexity.
Approaching music with refined instrumental composition can sometimes be limiting. Rendering yourself the confines of being described as “pared-back” and hurtling towards a final destination of “Chilled Out Sunday” streaming playlists, it can easily be pushed aside as nothing more than meditative soundtracks. To find melodic nuance and instrumental complexity in a soundscape with no hiding place is both an emotionally intimidating place to be and artistically as the dangers of pastiche loom large. However, Mann’s debut album Rift seems to avoid those pitfalls while justifying comparisons to the genre’s greats like Laura Marling and Joni Mitchell.
There’s something uniquely ethereal about Mann’s voice that is immediately striking in the record’s opening track ‘It Only Hurts’. A perfect partner for the crackling production quality of an acoustic artist, it shimmers with the sort of golden hue you get on Super 8 film. It feels almost reductive to label her a songbird, but the delicacy in which she sings in both isolated and harmonic takes is undoubtedly her strongest skill, and you would quite happily have your life soundtracked by her on your shoulder.
While Mann’s talent is undeniably evident on the more humble tracks like ‘Driving Home The Long Way’ and ‘Remember Me (Train Song)’ you can’t help but get excited at the prospect of a more fully produced record with her at the helm. ‘Doubled Over’ and ‘Oranges’ show the injection of keys and percussion do nothing to harm the delicate environment she has crafted and instead elevate her sound into even more ethereal yet emotive realms.
It’s a stunning, cohesive debut album that is beautifully concluded by the Tom Waits-inspired ‘The Dream’, but I can’t help but wait for the next record, which might see Mann’s multi-layered vocal ability accompanied by a more supportive melodic army.
For fans of: Those who wished Joni Mitchell lived in North Devon, not Laurel Canyon.
A concluding comment from my Mum: “Shall we have her round for dinner?”
Rift track by track:
Release Date: March 7th | Producer: Fabian Prynn | Label: State51
‘It Only Hurts’: Importantly for an introduction to a Clara Mann record is a platforming of her incredible vocal takes. She is at complete ease with her delivery and does not feel the need to fill excess space with unrequired power, which is a stunning example of how to execute delicacy. [4/5]
‘‘Til I Come Around’: The harmonic layering of Mann’s voice is without doubt the standout moment on this track, showcasing her ability to execute two very different emotions within the same vocal range. [3/5]
‘Driving Home The Long Way’: A stunning example of how Mann’s voice can dance between a slightly more upbeat guitar-stroking melody. It’s a suitably romantic soundscape for a song that explores relationship nostalgia. [3.5/5]
‘Stadiums’: The guitar is placed to one side for a song that is achingly tender and honest as Mann forthrightly sings, “I write confessions”. The grandiosity of the track’s title and the dreams that inspire it feels a long way from something so emotionally within reach. [3/5]
‘Reasons’: A sonic version of morning light cracking through the curtains and bringing the optimism of an early spring. It’s beautifully whimsical and pairs perfectly with Mann’s ethereal backing vocal. [4/5]
‘Remember Me (Train Song)’: The sunlight felt in the previous track becomes a major lyrical motif in this song, used as a clever symbol of regeneration and hope for an isolated lover. While melodically, the album shines brighter on other tracks, this is her finest lyrical take. [3.5/5]
‘Doubled Over’: At long last, the album’s instrumental elements come together in unison. A painstaking falsetto line soars over Mann’s signature guitar playing that’s finally paired with piano. A glimpse into an exciting, fuller sound that awaits Mann. [3.5/5]
‘Rift’: Circular guitar patterns return as Mann muses over the agony of being broken up with in summer. Once again, the harmonic layering elevates the song into a bedroom acoustic ballad into something far more refined. [3/5]
‘Oranges’: In an album of reflection and heartache, the beginning of the end begins on ‘Oranges’, which moves forward with quiet optimism. Mann’s voice showcases humble defiance and once again sits on top of the exciting prospect of multi-instrumental layering. [4/5]
‘The Dream’: A fitting conclusion to the album in what sounds like a heavenly Tom Waits track, it hints towards Mann’s more powerful ability to penn a ballad. [3.5/5]
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