Lady Lamb the Beekeeper - Ripely Pine (2013) [FLAC]

1. Hair to the Ferris Wheel
2. Aubergine
3. Florence Berlin
4. Bird Balloons
5. Regarding Ascending the Stairs
6. You Are the Apple
7. Mezzanine
8. Little Brother
9. Crane Your Neck
10. Rooftop
11. The Nothing Part II
12. Taxidermist, Taxidermist

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (neé Aly Spaltro) became one of the most beloved performers in Portland, Maine while working at a used DVD store. Her live shows were unhinged, as melodies followed an internal logic only apparent to Spaltro herself. She sang and played guitar, and the songs offered a vivid yet brief snapshot into her expanse world. Their full glory remained in her head for reasons of access and cost. And anyway, who the hell would be able to play along with her, seeing how they followed no formal logic? Thus, she developed as a solo performer, careening from hums to screams within seconds, but always maintaining self-control.

At 23, with five years of taking music seriously under her belt, when she ventured to the next milestone — recording an album. This would be the first time she did so in a professional studio (not just her and her 8-track). She wrote everything. All the songs, all the arrangements. And with the help of recording engineer Nadim Issa, the two of them assembled an album that finally fit what existed in Spaltro’s mind. Keeping the songs’ stark rawness, the record is a pure representation of her sound.

Ripely Pine, out February 19th on Ba Da Bing, shouts the introduction of a new talent from every groove. Here, finally, are recordings of Lady Lamb that come as close as possible to conveying the intense majestry of her live shows. And, much like her performances live, a narrative breathes through the record’s progression. The album opens with urgency and anger, settles into reconciliation and reciprocation, and ultimately reaches towards resolution, realizing infatuation leads to a loss of self; instead, embracing one’s own strengths is the most powerful thing of all.

No surprise that Spaltro ultimately sings a mantra of individuality. A listen to Ripely Pine proves she has a lot to say for herself and certainly doesn’t need anybody’s help to do it.