Shannon Wright dropped her 10th album this year titled Division. This author from Atlanta creates forcefully and consistently, bringing maturity and growth with every progressive record. Six of her albums were released under Touch and Go Records, and then she moved on to French label Vicious Circle, spurred by a collaboration with Yann Tiersen.
The number of releases is not the guarantee of quality, but in the case of Shannon Wright it - these are inseparable. Playing guitar and piano might not be her strongest assets, although she sounded convincing from the start of her career.
Division showcases how much Shannon had matured, both lyrically and instrumentally. Her music is constant and substantial, which was conspicuous on her debut Flightsafety. My favorite album of Shannon Wright so far was Steve Albini produced Over the Sun.
Here, we can hear a lot of noisy and distorted guitars, but significantly less than before, as she put piano in the spotlight. The album sounds very baroque and chamber-y, and it stands as her most complex release yet. Vocally, Shannon steps up her self-confidence. Noise, distortion, rawness and direct approach that converged into her trademark and replaced with clear vocal and easiness of piano.
Accidental represents a perfect example of that new element in her music. The simplicity and the minimalism lead by the vocal create a chamber-like atmosphere. The verse In my head, there’s a hand grenade delivers the heaviness of this music, but also her power to stimulate identification.
Soft Noise and Lighthouse (Drag Us In) also contain dominant piano sections, while raw sound culminates in Thirst and Division.
Shannon Wright never became mainstream of alternative, but she has loyal fans for a reason. Division is a polished version of her classic sound that shines a light on the candid vulnerability of Shannon she just couldn’t hide anymore.
