Hovering in the ether somewhere between languid alt-country yearning and thoughtful indie rock experimentalism,
Scout Gillett
isn't afraid to aim for something deeply atmospheric on both sides of that musical spectrum on her first full-length album, 2022's
No Roof No Floor
. The deep echoes and sonic distance of the vintage electronic keyboards and ghostly drum tracks speak of 2 a.m. soul searching just as clearly as the pedal steel guitar and the rootsy, bittersweet heart of her melodies. If the details of her lyrics sometimes get blurred in the mix, the high lonesome keening of her voice is powerfully articulate all by itself, the sound of sorrow borne of love. The songs of
came out of a painful period in
Gillett
's life - after the Brooklyn-based musician and songwriter lost her love to an overdose, she went back to her hometown in Missouri for the first time in years, only to find a community that had sunk deep into economic doldrums and self-medication with alcohol and drugs.
isn't a broadside against opioid use or the toll of grief, but the album's tone vividly communicates a sense of loss, along with an anxiety that comes with living in a world that's seemingly drifting in a sea of storms. That's a lot to get across in the space of ten songs, especially on your first try at making an album, and
sometimes feels as if
is at a loss to show us anything besides the pain that's taken hold in her heart, especially when the production often forces you to reach for the lyric sheet to figure out just what she's saying. There are a few such rookie mistakes on
, but the moments where the music -- produced by
Nick Kinsey
in tandem with
, and featuring instrumental contributions from
Ellen Kempner
of
Palehound
,
David Lizmi
MS MR
, and
Kevin Copeland
the Big Net
-- meshes with
's voice to share a message of anguish and hope outnumber the moments where she and her collaborators get lost.
bares her heart and soul in this music, and she does it effectively enough to draw in the listener -- no small accomplishment -- and a sign she could grow into a major artist in the years to come. ~ Mark Deming