Ookay I know I should probably be writing this in an Ingrid forum...or maybe not at all...but I am in the habit of only feeling comfortable in one internet space at a time, and at the moment this is it.
I have now LISTENED TO THE ALBUM! *proud hawk* and realised that missouriman is right - it is VERY different to what David would produce. There are so many needles sticking in me transferring comparisons between the two but I don't want to delve into that too much as they are very different artists. But I can't help relating them in a way one would relate two teachers who were once at the same school. Manafon taught me simplicity, rawness, storytelling... A Flutter And Some Words taught me richness, expression and artistic intent... I like them for different reasons, almost completely the opposite reasons.
'By The Water' is certainly the most catchy, and probably the most 'complete' track, very much like the feeling I got from 'Black Water' on RTC (okay the comparisons stop now). I think Ingrid mentioned that there was something 'seasonal' about the album and I definitely get that impression. I saw, possibly, a similar landscape throughout in varying seasons and times. I wouldn't want to hazard a guess at which tracks were in which seasons but I'm pretty sure 'Dreamland' is winter. It has echoes of Vivaldi in the opening.
As I listened, I don't know why but my eyes were drawn to the bright spotlights on my kitchen ceiling. In changed visibility, I watched dust particles float and those weird segmented molecular structures dance and disappear out of sight. Sometimes I saw the veins on the inside of my eyes, sometimes black pools and diamond-like patterns shape-shifting to the waves of sound and music.
I think Ingrid is better at writing poems than lyrics...her spoken words seem somehow more profound but her rhyming scheme is a little irritating. I hate to say there are 'better writers' because I don't like being judgemental but I think the importance lies in the essence of the song rather than the words.
I didn't like Tightrope on first listen...which annoyed me somewhat because it is a very different track to the rest and therefore the predicted response would be to dislike it...and I hate doing predictable things. I also love the first half of Terrible Woman but after "but you need her still" all the subtle shades turned to bright colours and I was quite disappointed (heh but who cares - it was probably done for that specific reason, I just happen to prefer greyscales).
There is something intimitely wonderful about Path of Rain... as a personal reflection, it immediately made me recall a scene from the film version of Virginia Woolf's 'Orlando' where the protagonist transitions from being male to female. I got a similar sweeping sort of feeling from one body to another, and yet a dawning of fulfilment that they were both essentially joined in spirit. It made me feel connected.
Returning To Seed is my impulsive favourite. I think it may also be a winter song... A lot of the tracks make me think of snow but this one in particular makes me think of A LOT of snow! The video probably helped...
I'm going to make another hesitant comparison now but I remember when I first heard Brilliant Trees I thought David's phrase "back to the soil" was an especially odd one and one I'd never heard before or since...until Ingrid says it in Returning To Seed - as an echo at the beginning. It made me think again what a strange disjointed phrasing is it... but I like it and I guess it means a lot whatever it is. I have an urge to try to draw it...
I love the childrens' voices in No Goodbyes. It makes me nostalgic. I can't believe I will never be a child again...I somehow can't believe it. I used to dream of adulthood but I never thought it was permanent... I'm at a point right now that seems fluid but soon I will reach a point where children seem a different species altogether. The images I get for this track are particularly beautiful.
The track Isobel is most touching. A song I think my mother would play for me if I hadn't found it first!
Overall, I love it and think I
will love it even more. It is not a wordly album, or perhaps anything that seeks to break new barriers, but it is a summary of one very beautiful person stretching their branches, and all the leaves and blossoms on the end growing and falling away.
Um..........anyone else's thoughts??
). There is also a new sample on her website but I'm not quite sure what song it is. It sounds very nice anyway. There is a video of snow. Ingrid seems to like snow. I like snow too but now it has turned all slushy and muddy outside it is not so pretty. I also have to walk in it for 20 minutes every day to get to work....not good when running late....or in a mood to get sidetracked by gorgeous whitest of white gardens with beckoning patches to place a footprint.... Anyway, anyone else interested to hear the album? I know there have been discussions about it before but I wanted to start an official thread. 
