Elizabeth Anka Vajagic
Stand With the Stillness of This Day
Constellation
A couple of weeks ago I loosed a colossal yawn at Rachel Yamagata, the next semi-bankable, up and coming female singer/songwriter. I’m not regretting my review, especially after hearing Elizabeth Anka Vajagic’s debut. Vajagic’s roots can be traced along a more credible line than Yamagata’s K-Tel soul. Julie Doiron, Cat Power, Beth Gibbons and Patti Smith are all evoked either in delivery or subject matter.
Vajagic wisely writes songs, in varying degrees, for a full band ensemble. “Where You Wonder” would likely collapse from mundanity if it featured only vocals and guitar. But with a building-to-crescendo of Constellation’s usual sound suspects, the song expands beautifully. Unfortunately, if the nonlinear post-rock pace of her songs wasn’t enough to get Vajagic banned from the radio, the length of her songs (averaging roughly six minutes each) surely will. Then there’s the whole gothic slant, too…
As it stands, besides buying it yourself, the chances of hearing this album in public are probably going to be limited to Quebec’s coffee shops and the occasional Wiccan funeral. If I were you, that’s not a chance I’d be willing to take.
Constellation Records: http://www.cstrecords.com/
