Kylie Burbank
I was wilfing through Bandcamp the other day (following up on some recommendations from artists I follow) when I stumbled across a demo tape from Seattle-based singer-songwriter Kylie Burbank and - if for no other reason that I was intrigued by Kylie's cover photo - I clicked on the 'play' radio button...
To be honest, I half expected a collection of dark, moody, Gothic-infused tunes, but having listened to the EP for the past couple of days I'd suggest that it's as a solid collection of indie-folk tracks that this EP really leaves an impression...
There's something incredibly humbling about listening to an artist's demo tape. All their hopes (and perhaps fears) are exposed for everyone to hear and pass judgement upon... No pressure, then...
Indeed, no pressure... The gentle guitar strumming and tape hiss on "My desire" does lull you into a false sense of security, but as the tempo picks-up, so Kylie starts to sing. There's a glorious inflection and just a hint of tremolo in her voice that perfectly marry with the introspective lyrics; the balance between her voice and the simple acoustic guitar accompanying it is nigh-on perfect. Everything about this song is so reminiscent of the meandering country-tinged indie-folk style of Angle Olsen's more reflective moments (especially from 2012's Half Way Home). There's a frightening intimacy here; I feel like I'm sitting opposite Kylie as she's playing a new song, awaiting my reaction...
To be honest, I half expected a collection of dark, moody, Gothic-infused tunes, but having listened to the EP for the past couple of days I'd suggest that it's as a solid collection of indie-folk tracks that this EP really leaves an impression...
There's something incredibly humbling about listening to an artist's demo tape. All their hopes (and perhaps fears) are exposed for everyone to hear and pass judgement upon... No pressure, then...
Indeed, no pressure... The gentle guitar strumming and tape hiss on "My desire" does lull you into a false sense of security, but as the tempo picks-up, so Kylie starts to sing. There's a glorious inflection and just a hint of tremolo in her voice that perfectly marry with the introspective lyrics; the balance between her voice and the simple acoustic guitar accompanying it is nigh-on perfect. Everything about this song is so reminiscent of the meandering country-tinged indie-folk style of Angle Olsen's more reflective moments (especially from 2012's Half Way Home). There's a frightening intimacy here; I feel like I'm sitting opposite Kylie as she's playing a new song, awaiting my reaction...
Both "I miss you" and "Our prose" reminds me of Kylie's fellow Washington State compatriots, Olympia's Oh, Rose and their demo "A Date at the Guest House" ( and not the reverbed, fuzzy goodness that was "Lottery" - lest you think I'm tone deaf...); the latter also features some nice effects multi-tracking on the vocals. Meanwhile, "Dream out loud" sees Kylie swap guitar for piano for a straight-up slow-burning pop-song. There's a nice change of pace and style here, with a certain je ne sais quoi that just makes me think 'smoky piano-bar'. The EP finishes on a strong note - "My Kind" has all the making of a great indie-pop song. It's certainly a song that helps shows off Kylie's vocal range; there's just that hint of inflection here and once again the voice and acoustic guitar are perfectly balanced.
There's something about Kylie Burbank that brings to mind both Angel Olsen and Oh, Rose's Olivia Rose (which, given this post, is not that surprising) - she's in good company - and on the evidence of this demo, there's enough to suggest that she too can make an impression.
Kylie Burbank's Bandcamp page
Kylie Burbank on Soundcloud
There's something about Kylie Burbank that brings to mind both Angel Olsen and Oh, Rose's Olivia Rose (which, given this post, is not that surprising) - she's in good company - and on the evidence of this demo, there's enough to suggest that she too can make an impression.
Kylie Burbank's Bandcamp page
Kylie Burbank on Soundcloud
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