Girl at the Rock Shows

Winter is coming. Some people may dread that phrase, but I, for one, love it. I could be at a show tonight, but instead, I’ve decided to spend a cozy night at home, cleaning and getting the house ready for the impending snow over the weekend. I know it’s not supposed to be much, but I’m excited for it, and there’s something about having a spotless house on the first snow that I just love, so here I am. Okay, I should be cleaning the house, but come on, that’s zero fun. I have laundry going and will surely get more done here soon, but I need the perfect soundtrack to go with my planned marathon clean, and I’m hoping that ‘Signature Move,’ the new album from Myra Keyes, may be the perfect match.

This eight-song album kicks off with “Sleep Well,” and I instantly fell in love. Myra’s vocals were the first thing to hook me. They’re eerily haunting but in a non-spooky way. They come off as more beautiful and tender than raw and spooky, yet there’s a very intimate vibe to them. As if she’s almost whispering or singing with extra air, yet every note hits like a heavy punch to the gut. It’s astonishing, gorgeous, and just what I wanted. The instrumentation feels like it, but as you start to dissect it, you realize just how much power is coming from all of the individual instruments, giving this song an endless stream of energy to match the coziness.

There was an almost joyous attitude to the opening set, but that changes as the album moves onto the defiant “Destroy the Peace.” Although you still get the same beautiful vocals, they come at you with a darker tone, a shade of pain that I didn’t feel in the first song. This little extra edge makes sense, especially when you start listening to the lyrics. “I’d be fine if I never see you again.” Like so many other wordsmiths out there, these are straightforward words and put together in a very matter-of-fact way, but there’s something about this phrase in particular that really struck me due to Myra’s tone and the way it matched with the instrumentation. I was hoping to hear this line multiple times, but instead, this song stops abruptly to make way for “Foam.”

At a few seconds under two and a half minutes long, “Foam” is one of the shorter songs on this album, and the driving beat that persists throughout the track doesn’t help that, but this is far from a flyover song. There’s a stickiness to the beat in this song that changes the beauty in Myra’s tone into something more swagger-filled and commanding. It feels like a ’90s club song, in the vein of Robyn or Betty Who, but with a more dreamlike indie-pop sensibility behind it.

Myra brings a more classic and folksy singer-songwriter vibe to the table with “Save It All For Later.” Although a bit slower-moving and calmer than I was personally in the mood for, there’s no denying the beauty that this song showcases. It has an almost Tegan & Sara vibe to it with the diary-like vocals that speak to your heart, not just your ears. That, combined with the delicacy behind this track, makes “Save It All For Later” nothing short of a stunning yet heartbreaking comfort track, best saved for a day when you just need to remember that you are not alone.

The fifth song on this album, “City’s Moth,” is another more folksy-leaning song, but it has a slightly more whimsical vibe to it. Don’t get me wrong, this is another heartbreakingly beautiful song, like “Save It All For Later,” but there’s just something a bit brighter about the instrumentation in this track, which juxtaposes the heartbreak in the vocals so perfectly. I don’t know what it is about this song, but something about the songwriting, combined with Myra’s flawless voice, gave me Fleetwood Mac vibes. I may be way off there, but take a listen and let me know. Maybe I’ve lost it, or perhaps I’m on to something with this comparison. Either way, “City’s Mouth” is another stunner of a track that should not be ignored.

Per usual, Myra Keyes seems to cut off “City’s Mouth” abruptly, which just adds to the stark change that comes as the album moves onto “Done For.” Like in “Destroy the Peace,” I feel like the beat in this sixth song just gets a bit heavier and stickier while Myra keeps with her signature style over it, creating an almost tug-of-war kind of feel. It’s a tug-of-war between the beauty of the vocals and the heaviness of the beat, but the great thing here is that there are no winners. It’s a constant give and take, but somehow, Myra and the fantastic musicians that helped her out with this album keep everything on an even playing field.

By the time “Struck” hits, you’ve gotten a feel for Myra Keyes’ sound and vibe, but that doesn’t mean that this song and the final track, “Roadkill,” are worth skipping. The beauty and emotion that Myra puts into each song are absolutely stunning, but it’s also something that everyone will interpret differently. These two final songs, like the rest of the album, may make you feel optimistic, or they may make you feel a sense of comfort as you allow yourself to wallow in a rut that you have been in. Either way, the beauty in these two final songs will speak to your soul, and who in the heck am I to say how to interpret it?

Tl;dr : ‘Signature Move’ from Myra Keyes is nothing short of a spectacular showing of talent, emotion, and beauty. It’s the kind of album that will surely make you feel some sort of emotion and will take over your body, mind, and spirit within the first track. It’s not the most exciting album you may hear today, but it will surely be one of the most beautiful.

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