[PIANO SONGS] Rachel Taylor Brown knows how to make an
entrance: With a roomful of 50 pianos playing the same notes for two
minutes straight. After that, one half expects Liza Minnelli to jump out
from behind a curtain to sing a hammy version of “At Last.” But
instead, Brown uses an elaborate choir to sing a Christmas
carol-sounding variation on the title of her record: “Sweetness on
Earth/ Sweetness on Earth/ And all the world rejoices.”
This is the kind of
ambition that can sink an album: How are the next 12 tracks supposed to
measure up? Brown’s immediate answer is to craft a Beatles-meets-ELO
slice of theatric rock called “Sister Jean,” which enlists help from
local musical mainstays Leigh Marble, Danny Seim and Justin Harris—and
some blues yelps from Brown—to tell the story of a girl who died from
relentless parental abuse. Yup, World So Sweet is going to get pretty inscrutable.
Not that Brown has
ever shied away from boundary-pushing, but everything here—from the
ghostly voices of strangers on the striking “How to Make a World Class
Gymnast” to the shocking marching band explosions of “Mercy in
Nebraska”—smacks against the ceiling of what’s possible on a production
budget and what one songwriter should realistically put herself through,
emotionally.
“Scotland,”
for Brown’s friend, deceased Portland songwriter Scotland Barr, is the
most striking and bare example of this. “There’s no telling when will
any of us go/ And for most of us we’d rather never know,” she begins
darkly, reminding of a kinder version of Randy Newman’s “Old Man.” Even
when contrasted with Brown’s slightly more digestible moments (see the
rocking “Your Big Mouth”), these gut-wrenching tunes can be difficult to
swallow. But for those who like their music to challenge their ears,
hearts and minds, Rachel Taylor Brown remains a seemingly inexhaustible
resource: This is her at her most present and personal.
SEE IT: Rachel Taylor Brown
plays Mississippi Studios on Friday, July 29. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
