This is a very personal journey where Minimal Drone GRL (Joanne O’Keeffe) explores her family roots as well as reminisces about being raised in Canada by immigrant parents. Even if you don’t know the intent, meanings are there for the attentive listener – sometimes subtle, sometimes crystal clear. And if you’re simply a fan of Western Canada, well, check out the song titles because they will tempt you to come along too.
Most of the songs stretch out over the five minute mark and often feature subtle “movements” where they travel through distinct musical ideas and end in different places from where they began. While there’s a lot of nicely done composition here, I particularly liked the use of field recordings. Whether its birds, kids or train announcements, the recordings have an equal presence with the instruments on the songs where they are deployed. They’re used as an important element of the composition, as opposed to just being tacked on to the beginning or end.
The real standout track for me is “Ambivalence.” Among the sounds present, it includes fireworks and an appreciative crowd at the beginning. Eventually some of those happier sounds are replaced by what might be warplanes and air raid sirens, and the fireworks are now bomb sounds. All this is mixed with elegiac synth chords. At the end there’s cheering again, but you’re not sure if it’s in appreciation of the fireworks show or relief for the end of a war. It’s powerful; my heart was in my throat by the end. But I don’t want to give the impression that “Ancestral Origins” is all serious and dramatic; you’ll also find many things at the other end of the musical spectrum, like the peaceful and pretty “Taiga (Boreal CDA).” This is a trip worth taking with Minimal Drone GRL as your guide.