Over the past nearly two decades, Pittsburgh-based singer/songwriter Emily Rodgers has put together a nice selection of recordings that are more focused and intense than might be expected from modern indie folk. Admittedly, this style of music is not really my usual cup of tea, but I appreciated the conviction of Rodgers’ music as well as its melancholic tone and interesting use of backup instrumentation.
This Friday, Rodgers is set to release her latest LP on the Shimmy-Disc label. She has this to say about the record, entitled I Will Be Gone:
“This album is my most authentic and vulnerable to date, centering on themes of trauma, illness, and loss; while my previous records have been thematically similar, I am open on this record in a way that I have not been on previous releases, especially as I focus on my brother’s illness and subsequent death by suicide 15 years ago. The record was written and recorded in my attic in just six days, utilizing lyrics I’d written over the course of the past five years, music by my partner Erik Cirelli, and arrangement and production by Kramer. Because the recording process was urgent and time-limited, there was simply no room for self-censorship or perfectionism and having Kramer involved in my writing process opened me up in ways I could not have predicted.”
Premiering here, we’ve got the hypnotic video for album track “Down,” about which Rodgers explains:
“Bass and piano, performed by Kramer, drive the piece, to which he also provides stirring vocal harmonies. Thematically, the song centers on the enduring appeal of intense but destructive relationships, with lines including, ‘I will bring you down,’ ‘I would have let you break me,’ and, ‘This is where I let go.’ The video for this piece, by Ryan Hover, perfectly encapsulates its mood and sensibility.”
Though fairly simple by modern music video standards, the video is certainly striking in its own way and does compliment the song exceedingly well. Check it out below, and head over here to pick up the full album.
