ANDREA TOMASI
Hurricane Dreams
Team Love

www.team-love.com
 

Vermonter Andrea Tomasi moved to Brooklyn recently, but you’d never know it from her debut record. It’s contemplative, unhurried and was recorded in the woods. The studio she’d planned to use was damaged in Hurricane Irene, so plan B became recording it outside in the Gunks. The resulting accompaniment – birds, insects and water are all constant companions – provides a fitting setting, and an extra layer of meaning, for her songs.

The songs themselves are mostly somewhat stream-of-consciousness, one idea flitting by after another – like the birds and insects and water. This sometimes slides into hyperdescription, which can make a song feel congested – especially contrasted to the guitar parts, which are typically unobtrusive, frequently arpeggiated, riffs. It can be hard to give each song full attention without getting distracted or exhausted.

But it’s important to take Tomasi’s philosophy into account: she wants to create ‘true expression,’ and when writing doesn’t necessarily concern herself with songwriting norms or perfect execution. To that extent, she succeeds: while it can be tough to pinpoint what each song may be about, the album flows conversationally and leaves the listener feeling as though he’s gotten an intimate look at the singer’s diary.

— Dan Greenwood