Hart of Dixie- 3x2 review

Hart of Dixie- 3x2 review

My largest complaint about the second half of the second season of Hart of Dixie is twofold:

1) That the show's refreshing, unique and peerless emphasis and commitment on friendship and platonic connections was sidelined in favour of romantic relationships.

2) That the intended protagonist character/show lead, Miss. Zoe Hart, was written in such a way that I felt wasn't consistent. Zoe became very difficult to empathize with, and was making selfish and rash decisions that failed to feel organic and in line with the character growth and character development that had occured throughout the series' first season and a half.

After viewing the season three premiere and now episode two of the third season, I can say with confidence that Hart of Dixie has returned to form in a big way. 3x1 and even more so 3x2 have silenced my concerns, and have even surpassed the turnaround hopes I held for the show.

Packed to the brim with friendship and platonic connection scenes (Zoe and Lavon, Lemon and Wade, Zoe and AnnaBeth, Zoe and Brick, George and Lavon), 3x2 thrillingly also presents Zoe as much more cute, charming, warm and amicable than I have seen her in ages.

I greatly approve of the hints flashed of Zoe's possible maturing, with regards to her direct and sincere conversation with Wade at the episode's end.

Lemon and Wade are two characters that have grown up substantially since the beginning of the first season. Their friendship and interactions have been extremely enjoyable, and I love their dynamic in this episode---especially their continual willingness to make personal sacrifices for one another. As much as their interests and goals differ, they make such a good team. They both have one another's best interest at heart, and that comes through in 3x2 when they altered their fake relationship breakup plan several times to suit the evolution of the various situations that both find themselves in (Lemon's newfound  Carter wooing and Wade's desire to make Zoe jealous.  In 3x2, we continued to be treated to seeing Lavon Hayes at his most positive, upbeat and passionate. 3x2 indicates how much Lavon cares for his cousin Linley, while reaffirming how quick he is to be a source of endless support and encouragement to Zoe. Lavon and Zoe's friendship thankfully continued to be allocated  screentime, and I liked how he was so eager to help make Joel feel welcome and throw a dinner party for him.

Perhaps my favourite new feature of season 3 is that with Magnolia no longer in the show, Brick is not only freed up to interact and spar with Zoe more, but also with other members of the cast. Brick laying down the law with Wade was one of the highlights of the episode for me. He was stern and intense and reasonable all at once in his Wade talk.

 I loved Tim Matheson's performance in this episode. Brick is such a compelling character, and it is not secret that his relationship with Zoe is one of my favourite aspects of the series. Brick's scene with Zoe in 3x2 when she brought Joel into his office was priceless. I love how Brick once again tried so hard to deny his affection and warmth for Zoe Hart, yet regardless of what he said to her (about being "banned"), his soft spot for her came flying out with subtlety.

Brick also amused the heck out of me, when he was chatting up Carter Covington. He was determined to be a protective father, but instantly saw that Carter appeared to be the anti-Wade, and instantaneously warmed up to him.

It's quite nice to see Zoe dating a man in Joel who is not overtly jealous of her exes. I was so impressed that Joel even expressed interest in figuring out the truth about Lemon and Wade's "relationship". He just does his Joel thing and doesn't seem to require approval from others to be satisfied (he was a little disappointed that Lavon didn't like his book, but even that didn't stop him from going out there and being himself to a T).

Tom and Meatball both delivered stellar performances in their limited time in the limelight. I also enjoyed that the writers played into AnnaBeth's ongoing conundrum of loyalty, as she continued to try to be friends with both Lemon and Zoe. AnnaBeth had a admirable straight up, to the point, undramatic mentality when she realized that both Lemon and Zoe would be attending the party for Joel. AnnaBeth of yore would have freaked out about Zoe and Lemon both attending, but AnnaBeth handled it with a cool and calm demeanor here. Continuity to Lemon and Zoe's rivalry was even delightfully openly acknowledged, when Lemon took pleasure in announcing to Zoe that she would see her at the party (implying that Lemon would be coming to the party), knowing full well that it would grind Zoe's gears, and saying it to do exactly that.

So far in the two episodes that have aired in Season 3, I feel Hart of Dixie has excelled in having an interesting and effective balance between lightness, drama, friendship, romance, comedy, character dynamics and growth and situational plot. I loved this episode. I thought it was one of the best in the series and I am thrilled with Season 3 so far!

Because I changed my mind

Because I changed my mind...kind of

So I rewatched the Hart of Dixie season 3 premiere last night and upon seeing it a second time I can say I was a tad too harsh on the writing of both Brick and Zoe. It played better the second time through, probably because since I knew what to expect, I was less emotionally wrapped up and had the clarity to focus on the detail and nuance the second time around. Upon reflecting now, I liked the scene between Brick and Zoe in his office early in the episode when he was like 'little miss hotshot...go work your doctor magic (on his patient)...and I liked the hand shaking scene where Zoe agreed to find George in exchange for a reference letter from Brick. I also now like Brick's snipe where he brought Joel into his office looking for Zoe and he was like "Ooooh I knew I should start looking for you in my doctor's office, the one place you weren't allowed to be in!). His look at Wade and Joel and Zoe was less evil that I remembered and more like 'serves you right Zoe...now you have to deal with real consequences for your poor way of leaving town....you deserve to have ackwardness and to have to do some real communication to these strappin men!"

I still don't like the restraining order threat he made to Zoe though towards the end. Although I did enjoy a little more than I thought I did, when he was like "Stop milking it. I will sign your letter. Now come on let's go!"...that 'let's go, come with me' part shows albeit indirectly that despite him never wantng her to know it, despite Zoe leaving Bluebell on terrible terms and despite her not taking her life and relationships seriously, Brick is somewhere deep down pleased that Zoe was around again. That makes me happy. So to recap: Brick was still a jerk in 3x1 but there was flickers of warmth and confliction that he showed. that I missed out on the first time. He still gave her banter like in Season 1 and Season 2, but this time it was much sharper and meaner and designed to really cause her to think more critically and thoughtfully about her life decisions and how they affect other people.

I'm really excited about this season. I think it's shaping up to be the best one yet!

My Thoughts on the Season 3 premiere of Hart of Dixie (caution: spoiler alert!)

My Thoughts on the Season 3 premiere of Hart of Dixie:


I thought the season 3 premiere was enjoyable, and had sharp writing and intense character dynamics. There were however a number of flaws and let downs for me (mostly to do with the character development and writing of both Zoe Hart and Brick Breeland).

First for the positives! Thankfully there were many bright spots! I liked the nostalgia that resonated when she was on the bus coming to Bluebell again like in the pilot, and that they showed the pier where Zoe and George had a moment in the pilot. I enjoyed that there was a large emphasis on friendships in the episode (not just romance) .Zoe and Lavon had some nice friendship scenes. Lavon seemed to really be excited to see her again, and he carried a season 1 like Lavon warmth that was MIA during most of season 2. I liked the involvement of Rose in the episode. I hope Zoe and Rose become closer this season, and Zoe supports Rose and steps up as a friend for her, instead of taking her for granted all the time and expecting Rose will still fall into her lap. I also really loved the scenes between Zoe and Lemon....I find their complex relationship so interesting and I hope to see more with them.

I liked the inclusion of Zoe's new boyfriend Joel. I think it's good character development for Zoe to get to be in a proper relationship without all that crazy drama that she had with Wade and George. I think it will help her mature and become a more well rounded character, and one that will later be ready to be a good girlfriend to Wade or George. Also I'm curious to see how Joel will take learning more about Zoe's past. In Joel's eyes she appears to be very sane and likeable and in a good place in her life, but her connections in Bluebell are very messy at the moment, and I can't wait to see the big relevations about her past come out ackwardly and uncomfortably to Joel.

I enjoyed the Lemon and Wade "fake relationship" being introduced and I think it'll be fun to witness the two of them play it up to drive Zoe nuts haha.

I'm not sure how believable it is that Zoe would send e-mails to everyone individually in the town to inform them that she was not coming back to Bluebell, and was going to stay in New York instead. A big part of season 2 was Zoe finally feeling a lot more secure and appreciated and comfortable in Bluebell. Despite her relationship drama with Wade and George throughout the second half of season 2, her status in the town was pretty secure and I think she felt like a part of the community. I find it unrealistic that she would allow herself to be fooled again by New York's potentially superficial charms. I think it is insulting to Zoe's character a bit not only that she would just up and leave Bluebell, but that she would think that an e-mail (especially to Lavon and Brick) would be an appropriate way to "wrap up loose ends". I honestly didn't think there would be a point where I would dislike Zoe as much as I did at the end of S2. But alas that day has come....her rash decision making, and lack of respect and lack of empathy and lack of heart put forward towards the relationships she made and developed in Bluebell was really disappointing, and despite Zoe's flaws, I think it's poor writing of Zoe's character, rather than the most authentic representation of the fictional entity known as Zoe Hart.

 I just can't picture even the pilot version of Zoe (even with her pathetic people skills at the time) thinking it would be acceptable to attempt closure in a relationship with anyone she truly cared about and respected, via e-mail. I just don't know what Leila Gerstein was thinking with that one.

If Zoe's unawareness of the consequences of her actions and her lack of respect for her friends and colleague was a big negative about 3x1, an even bigger problem that has been sitting extremely unwell with me as far as the writing goes was the way that Brick treated Zoe throughout the episode. In the second half of season 1 and throughout season 2, there was lots of evidence that Brick was starting to warm up to Zoe and her presence not only in Bluebell but in his life. He gave her some "good jobs" compliments and they both provided guidance to one another....they evolved from hating each other at the beginning, to a sometimes father-daughter like, sometimes friend/colleague relationship in late season 2. But in this episode, he seemed to be extremely cold, rude and condescending towards her. I'm not entirely sure I understand where that came from and if it was intentional or not.

You wouldn't be able to tell from watching this season 3 premiere that the two of them had a friendlier dynamic. That was lost. That was the meanest he has acted towards her in my opinion since the pilot. I know Brick was probably crushed about ending his engagement to Shelby (and that was probably how the writers justified Brick's position towards Zoe) and he was likely ticked off that Zoe basically abandoned his practice for the summer and left him to pick up the pieces....with just a Zoe e-mail to let him know her plans. But I mean, why did Brick make it so personal and say to Zoe that she hasn't changed in the two years she's been there (she has in fact had growth) and why was he so reluctant to sign her reference letter, and why did he have to threaten a restraining order from his patients? I mean, we've seen Brick's anger towards Zoe before, but I think the writer's really did a lousy job of honouring the progress that Brick and Zoe have made in her relationship....Even when the rest of the town warmed up to Zoe after she tracked down George, late in the episode, Brick was still being a jerk and refused to even offer her a smile, reluctantly saying something among the lines of "I'll sign your damn letter, you don't have to overcompensate'. His attitude towards Zoe seemed really out of place and their relationship seems to be have been sort of reset, instead of building upon their solid, growing bond late season 2. Where is the continuity and the proof of those two working together for two years?

I can understand and sympathize that Brick felt let down and hurt by Zoe and the inconsiderate, selfish, coward way that she left Bluebell....Zoe really acted poorly in how she left and perhaps more importantly, she sort of indirectly dissed her relationship with Brick (that she had just admitted how important it was to her in 2x20) by leaving without an in person conversation and colleague moment. Brick should feel resentful and even emotionally saddened since he appeared to be invested in Zoe and being friends with her (watch 2x19 and see how much he does care for her with the whole "Zoe Hart, you cannot kiss George Tucker" scene)...Obviously, Brick has never been good at expressing his feelings directly...so it seems reasonable that his intense anger towards Zoe in 3x1 is his attempt to mask his hurt and let down with fiery anger). I am aware and understanding of all that.

The thing that I'm not down with is the way Brick was written and presented in 3x1. He didn't even offer a hint of that lightness and warmth towards Zoe, not even a sense of being conflicted towards her. Brick in 3x1 was written as being almost completely indifferent to what Zoe does and whether she leaves or stays. That is not the case at all....he does care about her and there was not even the slightest tease that he does want the best for her in the episode. Furthermore, that line about getting a restraining order between Zoe and Brick's patients felt like it was only said to hurt Zoe. Brick has historically had jerky moments but there has always been some sort of valuable life lesson or logic that has come out of his mean jerky attitude when that attitude has been displayed. In 3x1 he was just plain mean for mean sake. Even in the scene where Brick was watching Zoe interact with both Wade and Joel at the same time in his office, Brick looked almost evil, sneering at the difficult situation Zoe found herself in, like he has no sense of compassion for her at all. Brick isn't the same Brick he was in the pilot and 3x1 in my opinion portrayed him as the utmost jerk of jerks. He's my favourite character on the show and I'm sorry but I felt like he was cheapened and demeaned in 3x1.
Looking forward to seeing what unfolds now that Brick has reclaimed the Brick Zoe practice for himself (When Zoe was going to leave, he made her sign the practice back over to him---Brick was saying in 3x1 that she signed some agreement that gave him 100% ownership of the practice).

I am a big believer in hoping to be surprised and I'm still very much a believer that things will become clearer and more sensible once the new season gets dived into a little more. I'm a patient and understanding person and on one side of the coin, I think it's really cool that this show inspires so much philosophical discussion and provides us with a springboard for valuable reflection that can help us in our real lives outside of Dixie.

Hart of Dixie well done= Personal Journeys in the forefront and love in the rafters

Hart of Dixie well done= Personal Journeys in the forefront and love in the rafters

 By: Nat Bourgon

September 1st, 2013

With Season 3 of HoD coming up (it's about a month away now, yay!), I've been doing some reflection on the show so far.

One of the trends that has become clear to me about the show is this: Part of what made Season 1 so compelling was that despite the fact that the romantic relationships played a large role in the series, most development in the romantic relationships seemed to stem from situations, events, or character journeys that honestly had little to do with romance. Throughout much of the first season, there was an attempt to showcase the characters embarking on their own individualistic, respective journeys.

Zoe was focusing on trying to adapt to Bluebell---she had an invested interest in learning about her past, with the goal of trying to create a more healthier, fulfilling way of life for herself. She joined the Belles to try to become more Bluebellian, she spent a great deal of time hanging out with Lavon on a friendship level---doing her best to learn how to be a supportive, consistent, and contributing friend to him (friendship was something Zoe previously struggled with---look at her relationship with Gigi for proof on Zoe's past friendship struggles). She was also heavily invested, as she admitted in 1x3, in learning from Brick Breeland in her medical practice with him. She made efforts to develop a colleague/peer relationship with him, and she truly wanted to grow as a doctor. Also, she grew to recognize that Brick was also a human being that she wanted to learn from...It seemed like Zoe not only learned to work with Brick, but that she actually began to enjoyed their snarky yet playful banter, and respect his desire to make a difference in his community.

Lemon was focusing on coming to terms with her mother's abandonment, as she recognized that doing so allow her to leave the scars from that traumatic experience in the past, and finally move forward and focus on creating a more emotionally balanced future for herself. 

Wade meanwhile was realizing that he wanted something more out of life than just serving alcoholic beverages. He was in the process of recognizing his own unique talents and skills and for the first time, started to feel like he was worthy of a career.

George was beginning to recognize that there were parts of himself that were being internally muted, and silenced. Even worse, he realized that he was being muted and restrained by himself of all people. He recognized that being your true, most authentic self is important, even at the risk of connections with others fading into the ether.

What made the romantic relationships so compelling throughout Season 1, I would like to argue, is that they evolved so nonchalantly and their development was so mildly paced. The evolution happened in baby steps while everyone was immersed in their own life adventures. Everyone was invested in furthering their own lives and being, and while they were doing this, connections quietly were formulated, modified, tweaked, and nurtured. The characters subsequently felt real and like they had a broader purpose other than just sexuality. The relationships subsequently felt earned. Personal journeys and goals were not typically squandered, compromised and halted for love, and the relationships were so much more meaningful and organic because of this. In the instances when the journeys and goals were stalled, the relationships were shown to also stall and wound up featuring conflict. The show celebrated the character's individualistic triumphs and took time to showcase the value of selfless friendship on many occasions throughout the first season, and the show was so vital because of doing as much.

At times, Season 2 pulled back on demonstrating and reveling in the character's individualistic journeys. In fact, I'd say that many of the character's nuance, persona, depth and individualism were not revealed at the level that they could have been. The most prominent goal and journey shown by many of the characters in season 2 was love itself. And although love is a very important journey, there were points when I felt like I was missing out on seeing the characters build upon their individualistic journeys that they were all heavily invested in throughout the first season. There was little concrete evidence in Season 2 that Zoe was interested in developing her people skills, friendships, and medical career. Rose's relationship with Zoe became a springboard to discussing love, rather than the sisterhood traces that it hinted it could become in Season 1. Lemon was going out on subpar dates with Walt instead of figuring out what she was truly passionate about doing with her life. Lavon pointed, laughed, balked and near ridiculed Zoe's crazy decisions towards the season's end instead of doing the friend thing and being there for her while she was essentially going through pseudo mental health issues. Love wasn't the icing on the life cake---it became life itself, which led to these compelling, intriguing characters of depth, shown as more one dimensional and one tracked as they had ever been.

There were some really well done, beautiful/funny moments throughout Season 2. There was a 4 episode stretch between episodes 2x6 through till 2x9 inclusive that I thought honed in on the series' strengths. These episodes found humour, drama and playfulness coexisting, while focusing on situations, events and occurences more instead of overtly emphasizing love. There was another stretch towards the end of the season that I think might be four of my favourite episodes of the series (2x17, 2x18, 2x19, 2x20). These episodes dive into the show's strength of showing organic, supportive, meaningful friendship at its best. These episodes highlight flawlessly the evolution of Zoe and Brick's connection, and finds them talking to each other like adults, giving one another advice, supporting one another through challenging times, and acknowledging their near friendship/father daughter bond. These episodes also reveal Lemon and Wade's newfound friendship, which allow both of their depth as compelling characters to be shown off fabulously. Both of these four episode stretches share a commonality: The writers shifted away from demonstrating that love was the number one goal of the characters. They depicted the characters as wanting something more out of themselves and out of life. Unfortunately these 8 episodes of focusing on individualistic character journeys and friendships in a 22 episode Season 2 situates the majority of the season as showcasing love itself over the landscape, texture and intricacies of life. I love this show. Its high points are so triumphant, so meaningful, so moving and it's frustrating because those high points have become the exception rather than the norm. Hart of Dixie has oodles of potential, but has become more and more content to be a romantic comedy with the occasional town event and fleeting friendship moment. This is disappointing to me because it has been, and can be again so much more than that.

I hope Season 3 finds a way to honour and build on the personal journeys of the characters like much of Season 1, and in particular, the 2 highlighted four episode arcs of Season 2 that I discussed. Mostly, I hope that Season 3 finds romantic love in the rafters of the character's journeys: There and important but not dominant or leading, while feeling earned and natural.

On the music of Tara Jane O'Neil

On the music of Tara Jane O'Neil

a feature by Nat Bourgon

July 27th, 2013

You’re spending your weekdays perched on a chair, next to a photocopier. Yet your days are full of joy and peace because you don’t just feed paper into the machine, you feed off the lingering smiles and contageous laughter shared with your new coworkers. 

You get left behind by a friend, who has metaphorically moved in a southwest life direction to your northeast. Yet you continue to do your thing, and your positivity, energy and noticeable self ease creates a chance encounter with a fellow northeasterner, who is drawn to your corner. Breakfast is eaten together for lunch.

You look up at the clouds and instead of imagining walking on them, you want to dance cloudtop.

You don’t need wrapping paper this holiday season because you’re all wrapped up in giving and getting love.

Perspective is a freedom that we are all equipped with. It casts a net in the sea of change capacity that dips vastly deeper, and offers thicker sturdiness than we often envision. One of Tara Jane O'Neil's greatest strengths is her ability to give perspective the credit it deserves, and honour and communicate its ability to influence a person's happiness. O'Neil's music invites you to lean more heavily on perspective and utilize it more thoroughly. She reminds us that when utilized effectively, perspective can be your teammate and you can work with it to head on your own fulfilling, self satisfying journey (whatever that unique and personalized journey may be).

Tara Jane O’Neil makes music that inhabits a diacritical realm. A realm in which the way we conceptualize, choose and implement diverges from the superficial and enters the atypical.  

Her music is more than words and melodies could ever offer: It is a recipe for looking at and living life, characterized by playfulness, celebration of the subtle moments and happenings in the moment, and an emphasis on adding liveliness and energy to circumstances and situations. 

Her songs saunter, shift, raft and roll, accentuating the trip over the terminus. Tara Jane O’Neil’s songwriting is invulnerable to the perils of uniformity. O’Neil somehow makes intricate illuminating. With a ringent mind and heart, her spirit serenades us as aptly as her celestial, whispery voice and her titillating, entrancing guitar playing. 

“Peregrine”, O’Neil’s first solo record, is a nuanced, expressive, inventive, singular sounding record, readied with a generous helping of placidity. "Peregrine" possesses a bottomless beauty, which erupts in your soul and enhances your heart’s ability to love and be loved. Followup “In the Sun Lines” instills dexterity and a newfound deftness for ambiance and atmosphere that match her emotionally resonant musical palette. Her voice comes into its own here, sounding more confident and clear. "TJO TKO” dials back on the organic, acoustic approach of her previous LPs, and delves into electronic texture. That it contains some of O’Neil’s most tangible, earthy, sensory packed songs is a testimony to her diversity and ingenuity. “You Sound, Reflect” is a musically decorative, refined work that ups the directness of its lyrical content while retaining its mysterious aloof persona. “In Circles” is as decked in haze as it is in light; a real rarity. It feels like an older and wiser sister to “Peregrine” which it builds upon stylistically and thematically. “A Ways Away” is a bare, moody glimpse into desires, and a better future. It acknowledges the past in order to harness that elusive new beginning. "A Ways Away" haunts as much as it harnesses courage. 

Tara Jane O’Neil delivers notes and vox of love, acceptance and togetherness. She is a wildly enamoring, enthralling musician whose work is extraordinarily affecting instantaneously, and endures itself even further with the passing of time. O'Neil's music continuously provokes creativity and inner growth in an encompassing, engaging and unique manner. O'Neil's music falls under a realm and way of living that is self-created by her thoughts, attitude and conceptualization, in turn revealing the capacity for perspective to influence a life for the better. That Tara Jane O'Neil's music is as immensely compelling as the message and ideologies it is founded on situates her a true artist and a true inspiration to us all.

Notes: 

In a music career that dates back at least 20 years, in addition to her aforementioned solo records, O’Neil has also contributed her singing, songwriting, and instrumentation to Rodan, Retsin, and The Sonora Pine. Tara Jane O’Neil ‘s seventh full length solo record, “Where Shine New Lights”, is currently finished and awaiting a fall 2013 release.

 

On the music of Megan Hamilton/her new single "Tuesdays are the Loneliest Nights"

On the music of Megan Hamilton/her new single "Tuesdays are the Loneliest Nights"

Feature article by: Nat Bourgon

June 22nd, 2013

There is an extra tint of artistry slathered throughout Megan Hamilton’s musical output. An exquisite, unparalleled songwriter, her musical landscape eschews boundaries implicit in catering to genre. Her creative terrain is intrepid, pure, and unrelenting. Hamilton makes imaginative, sensual, active music that is adorned with the faculties of spiritedness and heart. It is the intricacies of Megan Hamilton’s songwriting that add the extra tint in question, firmly situating her as singular and peerless. Subtle flourishes flutter around in copious supply. The nuanced imperfections present in the layered instrumentation allow her songs to emulate living, breathing organisms, swarming with personality. Her eloquently expressive, poetic lyricism is bolstered by a profound sense of sincerity, which permeates through her tunes.  The ache in Hamilton’s voice is compelling, often playing not as an ache of lamenting, but rather an ache of yearning. Her misty, rousing voice shrewdly calibrates from lush to chilling in organic fashion, whilst retaining its soulful overtones. 

Following 2009’s eclectic, sublime full length “See Your Midnight Breath in the Shipyard“, Megan relocated from Toronto to Kingston, and became a first time mother.  After a minor break from recording, Hamilton has now re-emerged with new material. New single “Tuesdays are the Loneliest Nights” precedes the release of her new Jim Bryson produced EP “Snow Moon”, out August 6^th. 

“Tuesdays are the Loneliest Nights” honours the authentic charisma and emotive character of Megan Hamilton’s past work, while incorporating a fuller, richer sound and livelier attitude.  There is a newfound breezy, lighthearted energy present here musically, which subsequently heightens the song’s surprising catchiness.  Despite the sparkling upbeat instrumentation, her words are as melancholic as ever, infusing the song with a startling sense of tension. Danielle Lennon’s lavish, serene violin feels strikingly lifting. The loose, weightless guitar playing carries a warm, infectious glow throughout. Hamilton’s vocals are mixed a little less high than usual, casting a welcomed hazy, pseudo ghostly complexion on her delivery. Hamilton’s voice radiates through in fine form, this time soaring on the airier side of the sonic spectrum, and utilizing her higher register to amicable effect.  At the track’s outset, her singing purposefully comes across as less theatrical and more distanced than other entries in her discography. As the song builds (and build it does), hints of vulnerability and intimacy (Hamilton’s forte) creep into the proceedings, eventually making a full fledged comeback. When Hamilton utters “Tuesdays are the loneliest nights” in the song’s final seconds with such a sense of definitiveness, the listener is left floored by Megan Hamilton’s deft songwriting, alluringly dusty voice, and the empowering message her music represents, while simultaneously determined to brainstorm more ways to brighten their own Tuesday pm (Listening to this song is certainly the frontrunner choice).(Megan Hamilton- Tuesdays are the Loneliest Nights- Snow Moon-2013).  Ultimately, “Tuesdays are the Loneliest Nights” is a staggeringly beautiful, wildly articulate musical journey that is a consummate representation of Megan Hamilton’s undeniable musical aptitude. That the track is additionally an avid representation of soulfulness itself is simply the proverbial icing on the cake.

Check out the aforementioned new Megan Hamilton single “Tuesdays are the Loneliest Nights” here:

https://soundcloud.com/kingstonartscouncil-1/tuesdays-are-the-loneliest

Megan’s new EP “Snow Moon”  (her fourth release overall) is out August 6^th, 2013. Preorder information will be available soon via Megan’s official website: 

http://www.meganhamiltonmusic.com/

The Wingdale Community Singers- Night, Sleep, Death review

The Wingdale Community Singers

Night, Sleep, Death

A record review by Nat Bourgon

Night, Sleep, Death plays as an unflinching, candid testimony to the double entendre of human life. The record is as triumphant as it is tragic, paralleling the duality of life itself. 

Night, Sleep, Death is buoyed by its incessant ability to elicit emotive response. The songs often carry a conflicting yet strangely complimentary persona.  This is an animated, lively and purposeful sounding record at even its most melancholic, near hopeless stages. Notice the deliberate choice of language:  “near hopeless.” Night, Sleep, Death sagely refuses to fully extinguish hope. This ‘never-say-never’ position with regards to hope solidifies the humanity of the record.  It divulges to us that hope can find us in even the most confounding, astonishing ways.  Mid record standout “Happy Ending” is a disarming curveball.  Adopting a narrative like structure, it comes across like a four minute prayer with a sullen lyrical tone.  Throbbing percussion aligns with melodically rich acoustic guitar immaculately to create an energetic, leaping musical charisma.

The hope here comes in the form of Hannah Marcus’s vocalizations, which bolster the record considerably. She sounds downright unnerved and spooked, yet there is simultaneously a steady warmth and sincerity to her deep, mesmerizing voice that conveys that flicker of hope. Every so often, especially on the artful folky opener “So What (Andy’s Lament)” that builds to a stunning climax of near operatic vocal harmonies, her alto voice soars up to the higher end of her  range, tugging at heart strings and firmly establishing herself as one of the most potent, and compelling vocalists working today. 

Night, Sleep, Death is a journey where the off course is not counted out. It is a place where the astray is not deemed lost. The record’s account of life occurrences as impermanent is equally fear inducing as it is comforting.  A yearning for connection, togetherness and love permeates through these tracks, even at moments when connection, togetherness and love ultimately don’t prevail.   

The songs on Night, Sleep, Death bustle with inventive, nuanced sonic passages, riveting, expressive lyricism and an adherence to freedom and open mindedness. The record veers swiftly yet cohesively from a celebratory vibe to a crushing ambience, often within the confines of an individual song. 

Finale “A Sweeter Way To Say Goodbye” is as devastating and beautiful as any love song you’ll hear this year.  The song at once evokes love’s pain and pleasures, with an exquisitely intimate, vulnerable, heartfelt climate.  It is an impeccable capper to an inspiring, sublime record that captures and embraces the satisfying imperfection of what it means to be human with unabashed honesty while continuing to cling to that glimmer of hope without fail.