Album Review: Weyes Blood Shows The Titanic Rising
There is no denying the power of movies. They make life feel bigger in the falsest, most beautiful of ways. It would be nice to say that in two hours my traumas were healed, a crowd of people applauded and cried as witnessing my resilience, and, in the end, I was nominated for an Oscar due to my riveting portrayal of a human being. Yet, I cannot say that and nor can Weyes Blood. In her new album, Titanic Rising, she confronts how movies have emotionally duped us.
Movies have pushed the boundaries of my imagination; much like music. Yet, they also taught me lies, especially about relationships and how willing society is to treat me well. From “Picture Me Better” to “Wild Time,”Weyes Blood confronts the need for diversity; presenting it is an opportunity for some much needed, emotional truths. For her, realism is humanism, and it is dangerous to plug delusions that relationships resolve our self-loathing and no one holds prejudices or plots against others for superficial reasons. Movies have a real opportunity to prepare us for both the many people we will meet, and the many versions of ourselves we will become, but they can miss the mark.
At times, we treat diversity like it is an annoying, moral burden; as if people want to be seen for vapid reasons. Yet, tracks like, “A Lot’s Gonna Change,” “Mirror Forever,” and “Something To Believe,” have Weyes Blood showing that people want to be seen for virtuous reasons such as, the need to be guided better and the safety of knowing someone has gone through your pain. For her, this is, particularly, true as a woman trying to be a full and fulfilled human being for herself, while being in love with a man doing the same, as well. Two people transforming side by side can be ugly, but Weyes Blood makes ugliness so y beautiful like a movie. She can turn a cry into a gorgeous, sentimental purge, and makes glamorous melodies that glaze over verses of self-doubt and societal affronts.
Sonically, the album goes from the tender quietness of Weyes’ voice and her guitar and leaps into cinematic, synth/stringed opuses. Vocally, Weyes Blood approaches her dilemmas like a starlet. She is Scarlet O’Hara whimpering over sorrowful drapes, and swearing in her straight-toned voice, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.“ She is determined to use her music to capture life’s issues while telling her listener she does not have the answer, which is what she wished movies did more often. For More Information On Weyes Blood And To Buy Titanic Rising on April 5 Click Here.
