Heirloom

Très belle découverte, parmi mes courriels, plus tôt cette semaine. Lisa Malachowski, force créatrice derrière le groupe montréalais Heirloom, me partageait leur premier EP, « The Lexicon of Accepted Ideas », offert depuis la mi-avril. Pour la petite histoire, Malachowski étudia en piano classique et a réuni plusieurs amis musiciens dans ce collectif, à l’esthétique folky et aux influences très vastes (bluegrass, pop orchestrale)

Belle réalisation, qui capture l’essence de Heirloom, sous une finition très intime. L’intensité de leur folk de chambre ressort dès la première pièce, « Adam’s Fall ». On retrouve un peu d’innocence chez la formation, mais c’est un caractère de ce contexte roots, un peu rétro, qui s’agence surtout aux paroles métaphoriques de Malachowski. La pièce suivante, fait ressortir d’avantage l’orchestration du groupe, offrant profondeur sur fond mélodique plus pop, aux « pam pam pam pam..» irrésistibles. Naviguant toujours dans ce son folk, teinté de country, Heirloom étonne lorsqu’il passe d’une ballade western à un jam festif de fin du EP.

Belle interprétation de Lisa Malachowski, très charmante. “The Lexicon of Accepted Ideas” mets en vitrine son songwriting, très prometteur. Pendant que tous les artistes ressortent leurs guitares acoustiques et passent en mode unplugged, Heirloom se révèle comme une très belle surprise en matière de folk indé. Bien agréable et accueillant comme premier maxi.

Page Bandcamp: http://heirloomband.bandcamp.com/ - 500khz

EOTC Podcast #23 • Brie Neilson, Corinna Rose, Gabrielle Papillon with Heirloom
Posted on May 16, 2012 by Paul Aflalo

....Continuing our music filled show, we had the pleasure of having the brilliant, Heirloom perform live in the studio. They’re a new mix of music on the Montreal scene, and have an awesome blend of musicians to create their unique classical sound. Heirloom just released their debut EP, The Lexicon of Accepted Ideas. A complex name for a beautifully complex sound....

- CJLO, Edge of the City

Boys and girls, please keep your ears peeled for the new old-world sounds of this hot-to-fox-trot Montreal boys and girls outfit. Led by the world-weary and time-traveled voice of songwriter Lisa Malachowski – a lady about town who’s done time with formidable friends Mind That Bird, Valleymakers and Gabrielle Papillon – Heirloom is a collective of seriously talented multi-instrumentalists (mostly of the old-timey, back porch, pick it up and jam variety) take us on a trip. Stay tuned for a musical voyage to the lands of folk gumdrops, jazz philosophy joints, country woods waltzes and mellowed soft pop touches, all in all tunes that hit both the heart and the head. - Nightlife

Transcript:

''Heirloom. They’re playing at Casa del Popolo, Aprill 11th, this is the launch of their debut EP. You’re gonna hear a track called “Bullseye” from an album with a great title “The Lexicon of Accepted Ideas” and it’s got four tracks on it. It’s next week - next Wednesday - but I was talking to the band, and since our podcast might....at first I thought our podcast was going to be on Wednesday and their album launch is that night and they really wanted people to know about it, so we thought we’d play it a week earlier.

So, next wednesday, get ready for this, this is their album launch, David Simard is also playing at that show, so it’s gonna be good. This album was recorded - or, the EP - Heirloom’s album was recorded by Christopher Fox, whose name you may remember from when we had Folly and the Hunter in here, in the [in]studio performance. Chris is one of the guys in that band, and he did the recording for this.

The band is a mini collective of local artists - folks like Corinna Rose are in it, some members of Lakes of Canada, some members of Little Scream, but it’s headed up by Lisa Malachowski, who is also in a band called Valleymakers and some other local acts. So, it’s a very Montreal affair this group, Heirloom, so yeah, catch their Album launch April 11th, and thanks to Lisa for letting us know about it and for sending along another track, cause I think we played one of their tracks in January, in fact I know we did.''

Heirloom featured as cover photo for this podcast. - Midnight Poutine Blog

“Very pretty, stripped down alt-folk....”
“I love her phrasing and emphasis in this song, there’s a way she sings it
arresting way of saying...sort of draws you in (about Georgia) “ - Midnight Poutine Blog

If you’ve got the heart for some more sad songs and you want to hear a band that’s reminiscent of Regina Spektor’s sadder side, then I’ve got something awesome for you: Heirloom’s The Lexicon of Accepted Ideas. Lord knows I love listening to good folk or alt-country, and this record’s scratching that itch for me these days. My Montreal pride is activated when their sound hits my ears – this city’s definitely got some talent in it, and it just keeps popping up all around me. Here’s a great track called “Without Fail”, from their aforementioned EP. - Bloody Underrated

Montréal-based Heirloom’s The Lexicon of Accepted Ideas is bravely orchestral – masterfully arranged without being too grand or complex. Featuring a number of Canadian music scene standouts – including Quinn Brander (Lakes of Canada) and Corinna Rose – Heirloom has put together a fantastic debut effort with Lexicon.

The four-song album begins with “Adam’s Fall,” a hauntingly beautiful dirge that draws you in. The vocal tone and lyrical style is reminiscent of Regina Spektor’s latest albums, and vocalist Lisa Malachowski really endears the listener to the sound of the band in this song. The arrangement is sparse and clever, and Malachowski’s classical training shows in this respect.

“Bullseye” is brighter and more fast-paced than the previous track. The lyrics are once again brilliantly crafted, and form the backbone of the song. The banjo is tasteful and the strings are delicate and appropriate. The lilting vocals are what really brings the listener onto Heirloom’s side – two songs into the album, I’m already a huge fan.

The penultimate track is “Georgia,” a more traditionally styled folk than the rest of the album. I cannot stress enough how much the lyrics and vocals form the centrepiece of this album, and this is no exception. The guitar and strings simply provide space for Malachowski’s voice to shine, and the lyrics to bring the heart of the listener in. This is a rare album.

The story ends with “Without Fail,” a steady closer to a fantastic album. Once more, the lyrics form the centre of the song. The arrangement is sparse and delicate, with guitar and piano, a smattering of strings, the occasional banjo – a folk-lover’s dream. The final, happy moments of the song and the strings that are found there close out a wonderful record.

The Lexicon of Accepted Ideas is an A+ album in my books. The lyrics are thoughtful, the arrangements are particularly masterful and each song brings something excellent to the whole record.

You can find Heirloom on Bandcamp, and I strongly suggest you do so.

Top Tracks: “Adam’s Fall”; “Georgia”

Rating: Hunting Call (Excellent) + *swoop*

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Posted on April 30, 2012 by michaelveenstra
reviewed by Michael Veenstra - Grayowl Point