A New Release From Emily Masson
lost at home is the follow up record to Twenty First Century Mood, from Colorado musician Emily Masson. The band recorded in a new studio with the same musicians plus three new talents. From these “living room sessions” in Montrose, Colorado, eleven new songs took shape. All music, lyrics and vocals were done by Emily Masson. Lead guitar melodies were done by Rob Jones, while special guest guitarist/blues artist AJ Fullerton played on “Life Begins Again.” Rounding out the band is bassist, Levi Brown, drummer, Mike Beck, percussionist, Michele Gomez and singing back up vocals, Tia Brown. As stated by Masson, “Music is a trail of breadcrumbs for anyone who seeks to find themselves over and over again in the constant noises of the bossy bosses - in order to find our way; we must lose it. ”lost at home is a reflection - a ride through many different feelings. It touches on frustration, despair, hope, anger, redemption and a determination to identify not only one's own mistakes, but also is a pushing back on those who seek to control, and say no more: "we can pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and reclaim our autonomy and our right to pursue our individual dreams.”
To start things off there is the title track to the album. “lost at home” is a statement that should resonate with most of us who own smartphones. We find ourselves”talking” to one another, but not really being with one another - as in being with another person, in person. The “they” that Emily is probably referring to is all the social media corporations, all the phones apps, the ads, the internet as a whole, that subconsciously have us daily, hourly, minute by minute, in chains. “They got us lost at home,” is a haunting statement and as much as some of us hate to admit it, we’ve allowed ourselves to be chained to our smartphones. The band plays lightly and mellow, mixing styles of folk rock, indie and alternative. “spiraling up” offers a bit more the mellow, with sounds of an echoey guitar effect, warm bass tones and subdued drum beats. This tune has some dark edges to it, lyrically. I think it largely speaks to what happens when a person comes to grips with whether or not they are losing their mind - or just have a bad case of panic attacks. I liked the minor chord they ended the song with. Next up is “become the one” and it features a kind of “island - lounge jazz” style and sound. This song suggests being true to yourself - “Be the one you’re meant to be” not “the one you pretend to be.”
Moving on is “her every way” and it features a lighter, airy sound - not moody like the previous number. Not sure what this track is about lyrically, but overall, it’s a pretty chill tune and nearly clocks in at eight minutes. “life begins again (feat. AJ Fullerton)” is another mellow tune, but with a more rocking beat and nice, additional backing vocals. Lyrically, I liked this one for its positive resolve. “Throw your inside out / decide what goes back in / face your black and white out / absolve your sin” seems like some sound advice to me. “broken shells” offers a funky, shuffling beat which was fun to hear, along with the “wah wah” guitar effect. But the bass line was the best in this track I thought, not to mention the song itself was a nice departure from the previous mellower tracks. “why not ask why” mixes a rocking alternative beat, full guitar rhythms and lyrics that focus on the social, political and religious. A different kind of protest song, if you will. Next up is “mother nature cries” that gives a first person account (from Mother Nature herself), addressing us humans. Musically, I thought this track was one of the band’s most rocking, as far as speed that is. If you like the sound of the rain stick instrument, then you should like this track.
“whatchu du” is a song about child custody, lies, cheating and stalking. It’s also about getting revenge on your former lover via “hoping someone steals your identity.” It’s the one track on the album, that mixes a country/bluegrass sound, complete with shuffling drum beat sand a traditional “walking the dog” bass line. Fun song! “our eyes are wide” features an arrangement and style that feels mysterious and moody. I think this tune is about keeping our eyes open with what “the man” is doing in our lives - whether that “man” is the politician, the boss, the next door neighbor perhaps, or the next charlatan that comes along trying to sell his new improved snake oil. The band’s last track “when we’re eighty” is by far the band’s fastest played song - I mean, it’s like punk and alt-folk or bluegrass-y all rolled into one. This track definitely stood out. It’s an endearing love song, about not “hollering” at one another, not “having love on the hook” but still “giving each other the look.” Towards the end of the song, the band starts to slow down. Musically, the mandolin is featured as the predominant instrument and again, a wicked fast rhythm section is played by Brown and Beck.
lost at home, by Emily Masson, is a pretty low key, mellowed out album, with a few changes ups that made the album interesting. The band has good chemistry and the album, as a whole, was well produced. I’ll also add that Emily’s low vocal tones and deliverance really reminded me of some well-known singer/songwriters like Patti Smith, Grace Slick and Margo Timmins from the Cowboy Junkies. I was also hearing echoes of Nancy Sinatra and Nico (known for singing on Velvet Underground’s debut album). Although, Nico’s voice was way, way lower. Overall this is a solid album. Take a listen.