Analog Velvet Loves You - Handle w. Care!
by Falafel the Bunny
When I think of Analog Velvet, I think of a vision of life how it should be lived. My feeling is that this is the band's vision, but from being fortunate enough to talk with lead singer Alicia Burke, I'm even more confident that it's her vision. The songs, particularly those written by Alicia, remind me of the confessional tradition in American poetry at its best. This shows up in all her tracks, but consider "The Ballad of the Lonely Bed" and "Forgotten Road" as the top examples of a person unafraid of facing pain and complexity, inhabiting them, shining brilliantly through them (expressed through lyrics, instrumentation, and Alicia's voice in a way that breaks your heart in the best way), and then also not fearing the offering of such to friend and stranger alike. Meanwhile, Ultimate Road Trip, Down Girl, Hot Damn Hallelujah, and Hey Hey speak toward the larger ethic of living wide open, embracing, seeking, accepting. That's a thread that runs through the whole EP and informs AV's live performances. My impulse could easily be to give the band's EP a gushy five stars, but I feel like that's an insult - really I wanted to say "3 and a half" as a personal wink to some exceptional musicians and people, who I believe are just getting warmed up. This isn't to say the band can "do better". Just that they deserve the encouragement to "do more" and feel like they're loved as well!
