Some songs can not be recorded at the same time when they were written. The heaviness of emotional chargeness within them overwhelms and it appears pretentious, even obnoxious. On the other hand, If you give them enough time to mature and to be looked upon from the safe distance, recording will still be able to showcase the complexity of the situation the author found himself in. This is how Kate Maki succeeded to records songs that were written in 2009, the period when she was tortured by infidelity, defeat, loneliness and apathy, or at least that's what it seems like when you listen to her 2016 album Head In The Sand. Maki spent years with her head in the sand by taking care of her two kids, helping her husband to build the studio in their home in Copper Cliff and finishing her studies. What she felt at the time was impossible to translate to the tapes and not scream.
In the spring of 2015, in her home studio in north Ontario, together with her husband audio-scientist Fred Squire, Kate turned all of her songs into an album. By using eight-channel track machine from the 70 and console from the 80s for mixing and reverb, the couple managed to create a full analogue sound that even the most sophisticated producers would be proud of. No matter the heavy themes, warm and spreadout tone seduces you and wraps you up in a pleasant-melancholy.
The album's forte is Maki's vocal, resembling Neko Case and Hope Sandoval. The songs balance between folk and neopsychedelic, keeping the listener in the state of half-dream. After 25 minutes, the listener is back to harsh reality, left with the undefined feeling. Ergo, no one can say that Kate Maki did not create a piece of art.
