Devon Sproule’s album “I Love You, Go Easy” is one of those wordy-word albums. The singer-songwriter’s unusual but transfixing voice has a lot to report, her lyrical stanzas dense against currents of a jazz horns, or pedal steel, or emotional piano lines.
That is to say, though, there’s a lot to hear, but not too much. The sheer amount of narrative is dispersed seemingly among genres. iTunes indicates this is a country album. The opener’s soft pop would say otherwise. The single “Now’s the Time” sounds like Ben Kweller fronting the Flying Burrito Brothers, while the title track is an “easy” jazz tune.
Then there’s “The Unmarked Animals,” which divides its time between lounge rock and playful disco, with a slick guitar freak-out, congas, “the curvy stuff.”
Below is the exclusive premiere of that song’s music video, mysterious and glittery with some sustained eye contact. It’s a little something that goes hand-in-hand with this wordsmith, who was raised on a commune and, seemingly, on a steady diet of country-rock: she never sounds miserable. There’s a little glint in her eye.
“I Love You, Go Easy” really is among one of my favorite full-length albums this year; Sproule (rhymes with coal) isn’t on tour currently in the U.S., but try to catch her and her expert team on the road at a later date.
Devon Sproule – Unmarked Animals from Anti/Type on Vimeo.
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