Alanna Gurr

Alanna Gurr walks that crooked line between folk and ancient country. With an earnest warmth encompassing her voice, accompanied by the most gentle of slide guitar melodies she whispers canadiana into the rolling hills of Ontario stretching ever northward. As her hand alights after each downward strum this weird settled feeling starts to wash over you, encouraging another listen and ultimately a soft chair in a warm room. On the uptempo folk-rock jam October Alanna plays with the cracks in her voice causing the aural temperature to drop, employing us to grab the nearest lover and begin confessing the love locked in the warmest of hearts. Through the title track Oh, Horsefeathers, she showcases her creation of pure Canadiana which ought to be heard first on a river bank, under the cool spring sun, at that unreal hour between dusk and sunset.

Alanna Gurr’s wayfaring voice is coming to Edmonton some time in the spring, ideally to Wunderbar. Until then, to the benefit of your mental health, come get rapt in the celestial aural jet stream that is Alanna Gurr.
- Argue Job

As I come across more and more folk musicians from all corners of Canada, I find myself surprised each and every time. Alanna Gurr is the latest one of these surprises; I found myself absolutely blown away on my first listen of Oh, Horsefeathers, her debut album.

At first I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was that drew me to her music, but a few listens later I realized that it’s a combination of her extremely expressive voice and her heartbreakingly honest lyrics.

As with many folk musicians, Gurr successfully uses minimal instruments, providing just the right backing to her versatile vocal range. In a lot of ways, Gurr reminds me of Kate Maki. Both make use of simple instruments and blow their listeners away with their great voice.

Lyrically, Gurr touches on love in several different ways, like the pain of heartbreak and the anticipation of going out on a date. There’s even a song about marriage (Gurr sings about how it could be a big mistake). It’s not as if the subjects have never been written about, but again it’s Gurr’s honesty that makes the songs so compelling.

Musically, as mentioned earlier, Gurr employs simple instruments. Most prevalent is the electric guitar and acoustic guitar, and it’s occasionally supported by gentle drums and the banjo makes an appearance in a song or two. The simple guitar works well in songs like “So Hard” which only intensifies the sadness personified in it. She also harmonizes frequently with bandmate Gord Auld for great effect.

Her work is not all melancholy. The song “October” for instance features a steady thumping of foot pedal to give the song a more upbeat and optimistic feel. And the album’s ending song “Take the Streets” is positively uplifting; it almost sounds like a singalong when Gurr gets to the chorus making for a spectacular end.

Gurr’s quiet confidence will no doubt appeal to folk fans of all stripes. Oh, Horsefeathers is a calm but powerful album that really possesses that special “something.” Get it via Bandcamp.

Top Tracks: “Little One”; “Come Home”; “Take the Streets”

Rating: Proud Hoot (Really Good) +*swoop* - Grayowl Point

London, Ontario's Alanna Gurr may be the best known Ontario act you've never heard of. On the strength of her 2010 EP, which cracked the top 30 on the Canadian campus radio charts, Gurr found herself opening for Bruce Peninsula, One Hundred Dollars and Daniel Fred and Julie. Now she is back with her first full length album "Oh, Horsefeathers". Although this album is self released, Alanna's EP was released by London's now defunct Oh! Records, the label of Olenka and the Autumn Lovers which will give you an idea of what to expect.

Oh, Horsefeathers is a collection of accessible slice-of-life songs about love, loss and longing. The instrumentation is minimal, which focuses the album on Gurr's charming, sweet and slightly raspy voice and sincere, introspective lyrics.

You can get a taste oh Oh, Horsefeathers by grabbing the title track (mp3) and/or by visiting alannagurr.bandcamp.com.
- NXEW