There are millions of artists out there, and even as a music journo that tries to keep up with the deluge of new music, some just fall through the cracks. This has to be why I had no idea who Ora Corgan was. Her music is ethereal, part dark Canadiana folk, part hypnotic alt rock—definitely up my alley. At first listen, I was reminded of Angel Olsen, The Weather Station, Joni Mitchell, and just a hint of Kate Bush. The songs on her latest album, Hard Hearted Woman and debut with the Sacred Bones label, seem to condense out of fog, river mist, and the particular eerie silence of a Pacific Northwest night.
We begin with “Honey,” which builds from a somewhat country flair with a driving bass and drums, loose strings, light acoustic guitar, and Corgan’s all-encompassing voice. “The Smoke” is a bit more subtle with congas, shakers, and fractured, yet arrpegiated guitar work. Hard Hearted Woman really takes off with the next song, “The Division,” a synth-heavy, dark Western that would fit nicely next to the work of Chelsea Wolfe and the pitch-black ethos in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return. The bursts of saxophone really add to the lingering atmosphere, and again, Corgan’s voice is majestic and longing.
“Bury Me” appears as a more driving psych rock number, paving the way for the second half of the album, which is a bit more of a slow burn with a few faster tunes. Still, a song like “River Rise,” makes you fall in love with Corgan’s sound all over again. The BC coast artist can clearly shift her sound from sinister to subtle, drawing from different sounds heard in Americana, ’90s rock, and post-punk, all the while staying completely Ora Corgan.
