We've written about Anna before: she came to Ashland with her band a number of years ago, and I took some live video of the performance. Just personally, she consistently ranks among my favorite songwriters year after year. I am enamored with her talent for writing very colorful and detailed lyrics, with complicated narratives, and an undercurrent of poetic poise that I find to be both unique and compelling. "Animal Poem" is her latest release, and continues in that tradition of poignant lyricism and spiritual presence:

high up silver howling bird
looking down to see the world
spinning out into the vast forever
flying is a faithful dance
animals suspended at the place where understanding touches vapor

I find that the music of Anna Tivel continues to give – in the sense that as you listen more, you discover new elements and details tucked away like the petals of a flower. The magic of her talent is in the noble attempt to explain everything at once: her songs capture the ineffable essence of what it means to be human in a world that feels gradually more anesthetized and unreal. With production assistance from Sam Weber, Anna brings a classic roots rhythm section together with guitars, acoustic drums, and bit of acoustic piano.

At the end of the day, a bit like her contemporary Waxahatchee, Anna Tivel is able to speak to the perils and trials of continuing to persevere as a kind and loving individual in the face of a world full of chaos and misfortune. This, to me, is why music has power in the first place. "Animal Poem" explores the liminal space between humanity and primal existence; the space between illusion and hard truth.

This is a meditation on the stories we tell ourselves and each other. We map our understanding in ever changing narrative, both painful and profound, live inside the worlds we spin.

Photo credit: Matt Kennelly

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