anna morley - water door

Anna Morley 

Water Door
self-released; 2013

4.1 out of 5

By Eva Cantillo

Think of ambient trip hop music with an international twist mixed into one; that is the music brought to us by multi-instrumentalist Anna Morley. She is from Australia but is currently based in Berlin; this perhaps adding to her unique exotic sounds. Water Door is her second full-length album, which took her and several other musicians two years to complete. The effort and attention to detail is apparent throughout the album as each song is built from many beautiful and intricate layers of sound, all of which gently drip into a pool of intriguing and soothing sounds.

The first song on the album puts you right in Anna’s world, there is an eerie yet very appealing vocal sound of “eee aahh aahhhh” and these sounds accentuate the beats of the song and almost lull you to another world. The second track, “Not Letting Go” is a bit more slowed town in tempo and has a progressive build until the vocals are introduced. This track really reminds me of sultry trip hop songs from the late nineties or early 2000’s; bands like Hooverphonic, Massive Attack and Portishead.

At times I hear a bit of an Indian influence in the music, as there are many bell sounds and twangs from funky instruments. The song “Gnossienne No.1” has this kind of feel; it also sounds like a track from a mystery movie because the song is just stuffed with undiscovered chaos and careful questioning. The vocals repeat a chorus that seem like it would just echo through a dark alleyway and entice any curious passerby.

Each song on Water Door has its own very unique sound that emulates a world of intrigue, mystery, curiosity and eerie opportunity.  The vocals that are meticulously placed within the songs are very compelling and set the stage as they float against the backdrop of the sound effects and unique rhythms. The production of this album is commendable as the sound and structuring of each track is of high quality. This is an eccentric listen and a great one to unwind to or to open the gateways of ones’ consciousness.

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