Description
Dreamy Pink Marble vinyl is a Bandcamp exclusive, now only available at End of an Ear.
"Berlin by way of Vancouver songwriter Sally Dige’s 2017 LP Holding On stood apart from both the pulsing minimalism of her solo debut and her previous work in Cult Club alongside Laslo Antal of Sixth June. Taking synthpop and darkwave into a jangling, echoing hall of mirrors, Holding On made for a marked contrast from the increasingly club-focused approach which has dominated darkwave, for better or for worse, now for nearly a decade. Coming a full eight years after that record, Holding The Sun offers a brighter read on the styles and sounds in Dige’s orbits, and one which perhaps frames her talents as both a songwriter and singer in an even better light.
There’s no sense beating about the bush; Holding The Sun is a decidedly lighter record than anything we’ve yet heard from Dige, both in its extended forays into dreampop, folk, and the most radio-friendly alternative rock of the 90s. None of these sounds, like the mandolin-like guitar strum which begins opener “It’s You I’m Thinking Of”, or the new age spaciness of “Strength In Me”, would have seemed too far out of reach for Dige at an earlier moment in her discography, but Holding The Sun indulges in those softer shades for almost all of its well-edited half hour, bringing to mind the likes of R.E.M. and the lush hybrid of dreampop and darkwave crafted by Tamaryn.
This shift in style might have only proven to be a lateral aesthetic step were it not for the fact that the clutch of songs on Holding The Sun are almost uniformly the best yet released by Dige, regardless of vulnerability or influence. Immediate but still full of subtle appeal, the sober declaration of “It’s You I’m Thinking Of” and the crafty rise and fall of “I Will Be The Sun For You” measure up to whichever of a number of pop vocal powerhouses one might care to compare them to. The stripped-down nod of “Sow The Path”, with its strums and strings staying low in the mix even as they gather and crest, eschews traditional pop hooks, but that restraint puts all of the focus where it belongs: on Dige’s vocals, which build in power even as they seem to bob and weave through the strings.
It’s rare that we find ourselves writing about music as bright and accessible as Holding The Sun here at ID:UD, but that’s as much a product of the aesthetic paths cleaved by artists after we’ve gotten on board with them as it is our editorial mandate. Dige’s path’s taken her away from many of her peers who’ve prioritized dark club success for the sake of terrain in which, frankly, stronger talents as a songwriter are needed to stand out, and that road less traveled has paid off wonderfully here. It sometimes takes courage to be as vulnerable as this. Recommended."
From idieyoudie.com