This is a pretty dense piece of work. Unrelenting you might say. It lasts over an hour for one thing. MacGillivray is a poet and this is her fifth album and judging from the many other artistic endeavours she has undertaken it is easy to see why this is such an uncompromising album.
Clearly there is no interest in garnering mainstream appeal, success, or audience and I applaud her for that. On the other hand there are elements (possibly even tracks) from this album that might possibly have wider appeal. The vocals often take on an ethereal quality. The backing dips into contemporary electronic. It is inevitably a poor comparison but it is Kate Bush that continually springs to my mind. Uncompromising, poetic, experimental and ethereal. MacGillivray's voice is not the same weapon and neither are her arrangements but there is a path being trodden. A desire to express complex ideas and emotions within a 'popular' music format.
'Dirty Knife' is kind of distorted and howling and even medieval and it gives me the heebie jeebies. 'Daniel Take A Bath With Me' is voice and occasional piano bass notes and not far behind in the scary stakes. 'Watergaw' has the kind of piano you might hear in a bread advert but if that was the case you might be too scared to eat another loaf. I have to say the lyrics on this album are pretty impenetrable. I have listened a fair few times now and I am none the wiser but I like that. You feel it draw you back for a greater understanding. 'In My House There Is A Gun' is distant and powerful. 'Poor Dog' is a caterwaul and 'Night Skin' submerges the music and puts the vocals out front. 'I Danced For Joy With My Boy' has delayed vocals and a scratchy break beat but is a little unconvincing.
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The title track doesn't do much for the first half and then vocals start to appear and then a lead vocal arrives on top but unfortunately it doesn't amount to much. 'When The Winter Is Upon Us' is vocals and submerged backing and I am starting to think there is not enough track development and perhaps not enough 'adventuring' across the album? 'There Are Angels Here' is pretty good and I like the short pieces 'Moondog Lullaby' and 'Light In The Desert', which are heavily atmospheric.
Overall though I feel this album would benefit from some judicious pruning. That is not to say that I think all songs should be three minutes maximum, or that all albums should be forty minutes tops. The problem is that 'Once Upon A Dirty Ear' is intriguing enough to get me listening but after a while it starts to push me away, thereby undoing all its good work.
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