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Michael
Allen Potter:
August, 2004
Virginia MacNaughton
Levers Pulleys & Engines
(Paraphernalia)
virginiamacnaughton.com
The ten tracks on Virginia MacNaughton's
Levers Pulleys & Engines range from stripped and
intimate to lush and epic. The first stanza of the opening
track, "Essentially Prey," accurately sets the mood
for the rest of the album.
"Time and space have taught me to be
patient
Your rejection makes more sense if I stay
But I can't be here long
This is my front line of defence until I see you again."
The angelic virtues and unforgivable wanderings
of a nameless "you, you, you" are then enumerated
with varying degrees of anger, resignation, and wonder for
the duration of the entire disc.
If I didn't know better, I would have thought
that "Anonymous" was a lost track from 'Til Tuesdays'
first album. A deceptively simple piano ballad swells into
a dark entreaty to an alcoholic object of affection to finally
recognize the love before his or her eyes. MacNaughton's voice
is strong and clear and her vocals combine with the deeply
personal lyrics into something that sounds almost like Aimee
Mann covering (or reinterpreting) Concrete Blonde's infamous
"Joey." Lines like, "I don't mind the occasional/It's
just the falling over I can't stand," combine with Ali
Kane's gorgeous piano and string arrangements to produce one
the most emotionally complex songs on the album. "Big
Sky" surges and smashes its way up from a quiet intro
into bombastic, yet somehow still reserved, refrains that
are reminiscent of Michael Penn's signature hit, "No
Myth."
MacNaughton was a student of music at Bretton
Hall College, Leeds University, and her lyrics showcase a
fierce intelligence, but she is at her best when she is at
her least academic. "Shadow Me," sadly the last
track on Levers Pulleys & Engines, smolders in its rich
piano and big snare sound even before Virginia picks up her
mic and belts out lyrics on a track that Tracey Thorn and
Ben Watt will wish that they had recorded themselves if they
haven't head it yet.
Shimmering, tumultuous, and deeply personal
music from a talented British singer, songwriter, and musician,
Levers Pulleys & Engines is the soundtrack to the
Sunday morning after a big breakup.
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