Arise is the second single from Emily’s upcoming EP, Auaha. During the first lockdown, Emily set herself a challenge of being creative everyday in April, and at the end of the month she had 26 songs, of which Arise is one of her favourites. Musically it is soft jazz combined with RnB, some dub, some folk, and always with her wonderful vocals front and centre. Although there are some wonderful multi-tracked harmonies which does make one think of her work in the amazing duo Aro, overall, this is musically very different indeed. The accompaniment is modern, but the vocals are timeless, and in the 3:37 minutes she creates themes, then shifts into new directions, sometimes returning to what has gone before, and at others continuing to build and move.
This is song that creates a world where the music is almost passive, and it is the vocals which are always the driving force, and it is only really by sitting and really listening to this with headphones that one really gets the best out of it. It is far more than just another pop single; there is a great deal of experimentation taking place within the song, and it is only by concentrating on the music and shutting out the world that one gets taken deep inside the world which is being created by her voice. The instruments are there just to provide a very sparse framework for her to work against, and if there was no percussion or bass, it would be a totally different experience altogether.
Emily has one of the cleanest vocals I have come across: it contains both a naivety and purity that is so often missing in this autotuned over-produced world and Arise lets her to shine in so many different settings, from the modern pop setting to something more dance oriented as well as allowing her to blend her harmonies, so they are often the most important instrument to pitch the lead vocal against. I am so looking forward to Auaha, as if the whole EP is full of songs like Arise then it will be quite special, but until then just do what I do and play this on repeat.
About the author Kev Rowland
From 1990 – 2006 I ran Feedback fanzine in the UK, writing about bands that were rarely covered in the mainstream press, many of whom were in the underground scene. I built close ties with many British Progressive groups in particular, including writing the newsletter for Freewill, getting gigs for Credo and writing the introduction to Galahad’s OCMDII compilation. I reviewed literally thousands of cassettes and then CDs from bands from throughout the world, and was lucky enough to interview many of them. During this period I also contributed to the French progzine Acid Dragon, wrote for the music newspaper Rock ‘n’ Reel and was also involved with the Ghostland website. In 2006 I moved to NZ, and stopped running Feedback (which was then renamed Amplified after I left, at my request) having produced over 80 editions with more than 11,000 pages of print and heaven knows how many reviews
More by Kev Rowland
Gig Review: Crushfest @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland – 07/07/2023
Single Review: Love and War
Single Review: All This Time
Single Review: Sons of Savages
Gig Review: Stray Dogs @ AUX, Auckland – 26/05/2023
Gig Review: Turkey The Bird @ The Ministry of Folk, Auckland – 27/05/2023
Single Review: Beautiful Creature
Gig Review: Emily Rice @ Your Local Coffee Roasters, Pukekohe – 24/05/2023
EP Review: Bridge City Crew
Single Review: Your Heart of Gold
Single Review: The Strangest Dream
Single Review: No Funeral Blues
