From Rain - Over

From Rain

Over
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Megan Gazzo

The album Over by From Rain is a one-man project working her magic from her one bedroom studio apartment in San Francisco. The album starts out with the song "Messy Art.” it sounds like it has been recorded in a bathroom or a cathedral. It has an echo and ivory like resonance. The vocals are like a soft opera with a twist - they are dark, slinky and chalky. The lyrics sound unadulterated. Knowing that it has all been looped makes the listen all the more acute.

The song " O" shows there is a common theme in the album of feeling confident in what one seems to be or is, and then the complete denial of being anything at all are shown in lyrics such as "I could become nothing and I wouldn't be the first, I draw circles until I become nothing." The artist brings the feeling of the journey of just being a manic person trying to find passion by continuing on and going round and round in circles until something fuels that manic passion. It is so raw and human to admit such things. Sometimes our egos get in the way of admitting that perhaps not everything is sought out and planned and succinct. 

The next song on the album “I Was Almost an Addict in a Play” is quite beautiful. It has a harp like guitar strumming that is angelic and fluffy. The vocals are quite angelic as well. Again, they are dissonant and resonant as if being bounced off a thousand walls. The strumming of the guitar paired with the steady heartbeat of the drum machine fill the space of the song beautifully. It is a piece of art for certain. I imagine it being performed live in a museum as a living art piece. 

The next song "Allone" delves more into the depth of darkness. The listener can feel the loneliness in this song and the lyrics are again extremely potent. The message is important. It speaks of how confusing are the voices in our heads and how nice it is to dissolve into our dreams. This song speaks about how difficult it is to be an adult, inside your own head, just you and your thoughts. We had to go away from people when we were kids to have alone time, and now as adults we try to move toward people because we often feel alone. An eerie but relevant piece. This track makes me feel connected to the artist, and the whole world because I am not the only person having these emotions. 

Next up is the song “Heartbeat.” It has a marching band drumming, and some icicle-sounding xylophone flows. Nil of lyrics, the song speaks for itself with its eerie instrumentals. “Take Me Home” seems to have a slight ‘80s R&B feel. This song speaks again about the topic of loneliness. You can feel the artist going through the emotions and using this piece as a means to figure out their relationship with their self and therefore the world around them - "I am someone I could love one day." This song seems to be breaking through that space that the artist is holding between the love they have for themselves and also feeling isolated from their own self. The album ends on "Inks and Oceans." This song touches on the subject of being a floating piece of ancient dust searching for a creative outlet. There seems to be conclusive evidence that "This is not a wake up call, this is just a drill" is just a reminder that we will have to practice time and time again.

The album is consistent with its lyricist delivering its message in a spoken word like way. The music is beautiful, however I think the whole piece is more about the direct message. I am thoroughly impressed that this is a one-person project. One can feel her loneliness and perhaps their own as well with a listen. I liked the album and felt moved by its content. At times it sounded Icelandic with bells and whistles, and other times more dark and grimy. Its musical components continued to differ and remain eclectic, while its lyrics remained poignant and consistent and strong. It is also so inspiring what one person can create!

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