Quiet Signs is the journey of an artist stepping out of the darkened wings, growing comfortable as a solitary figure on a sprawling stage. Jessica Pratt is not a loud performer. She does not have to be. In a club of a few hundred, even the bar staff are known to go quiet while she's on stage. Her third album, Quiet Signs, feels like a distillation of this power. The album leads off with ‘Opening Night’, a nod to Gena Rowlands' harrowing, brilliant performance in the John Cassavetes film of the same name, as well as to where this spare, beautiful collection of songs falls within the course of the California artist's career. Quiet Signs is also Pratt's first album fully recorded in a professional studio setting, her songs and guitar arrangements have been pared back to include only what is essential, while the home recorded haze of previous efforts parts to reveal the full scope of her vision. On the first single, ‘This Time Around’, Pratt hits on a profound, late-night clarity over just a couple of deep chords, evoking Caetano Veloso's casual coastal brilliance.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Tenderly plucked acoustic guitar and cavernous, gothic echoes provide a tense but atmospheric foundation for the whimsical and cherubic vocals of Jessica Pratt. From swooning, 50s swing to delicately plucked folk and sparse Americana. Pratt's dedication and impeccably honed sound palette is as effective here as it ever has been.
TRACK LISTING
A1. Opening Night
A2. As The World Turns
A3. Fare Thee Well
A4. Here My Love
A5. Poly Blue Side
B1. This Time Around
B2. Crossing
B3. Silent
B4. Aeroplane
