Hermitess Casts a spell on the death and the fool
There’s a mysterious pastoral energy on Death & The Fool, the new album by Hermitess. Conceived as a musical family tree, Jennifer Crighton hypnotically and hauntingly casts spells through original lyrics, as well as words adapted from hymns, plays, poems, and familial texts. It's a concept that feels wholly conceived—a dense and dreamy exploration of art pop mixed with folk stylings influenced by Kate Bush, Happy Rhodes, and Joanna Newsom.
Underscored by a textural collage of harp, hurdy-gurdy, dulcimer, and intricate string arrangements, Hermitess sound fuller and more assured than on their 2017 debut record. Death is ever present, such as on the opener, "Lines In Our Hands," which contrasts its lyrical themes with a shuffling rhythm perfect for both dancing and reflection. Meanwhile "Winter Cometh" sees Jennifer sing in Middle English atop a resonant drone that's fully frosted, much like trees blanketed in a crystalline coating of frost. Elsewhere, full band instrumentals are interspersed with collaborative improvisations that add beauty and unease in equal measure.
The sound of Death & The Fool evokes desire paths in nature, compacted earth that reveals new passageways over time. Treading the path laid out by Hermitess on this album invites listeners to continually discover new musical intricacies. The band sounds unburdened by convention, as each song explores Jennifer's far-reaching and deeply personal family narrative.
Expansively conceptual and expressively performed, Hermitess measures the passage of time with a sense of stillness—in generations lost and in stories passed down. It's a distinctly ambitious and poetic look inside a complex lineage. While it doesn't offer listeners obvious revelations about specific people and stories, the lyrics are never fully guarded or obfuscated, and in fact burst with colourful detail throughout. Death & The Fool by Hermitess is an excellent followup that finds unity through diverse modes of storytelling and performance.