Watching a parent struggle through a health condition, one that won’t end well, is something many of us will face at some point. I had a 1-2 punch of losing both of mine when they were far too young, and several years later, the effects remain, and the healing is in waves. It’s a wound that never truly congeals. It’s a permanent scar.
“Devotion” is the second record that Rebecca Vernon created under The Keening banner, and she dedicates it to her late father, with whom she was living for a time in a senior living facility before he passed. The first half of the album goes full bore into Vernon reflecting on her father, and the music is delicate and sometimes thunderous. But she also looks at other darker subject matter such as the Osage Nation murders where killlings took place of wealthier Native Americans for oil and mineral rights, a story as old as time. It’s also the darker side of a devotion, and obsession for power and money. The playing also quakes harder than the debut, and the songs would fit alongside SubRosa’s in a live setting if she chose that path. This is a fully realized, heavily emotional record that leaves deep marks on your heart. If you just absorb the music, you’re likely to be equally as moved.
“Devotion I – Golden Thread” opens with quiet piano and aching strings, the singing compelling and moving you forward emotionally. A thick fog hangs overhead as Vernon sings, “A golden thread turns to an iron chain, a silken rope turns to fetters of stone,” as the spirit slips into the shadows. “Devotion II – Fitful Sleep” has guitars chiming and the singing haunting, strings settling before guitars electrify and add grit. The pace enraptures, guitars tracing patterns as organs swell, the playing turning gentler as woodwinds breeze, and a wordless call dissolves. “Devotion III – The King” is punchy and crunchy, giving off a bit of SubRosa’s seasick doom, stomping and sweeping as psyches do battle. A tidal wave of feelings floods, spirited and dark, stretching into oblivion. “Devotion IV – O Mother” has piano and strings uniting, softer singing making impact, Vernon calling, “O mother, why did you leave me all alone here in the pit of humanity?” Flutes flutter as the pace gets denser, Vernon repeats an admission, “I am hanging by a thread,” as the final drops hit the earth.
“A Little Bit of Blood” begins with acoustics, Vernon singing, “You drew a little bit of blood to show me, just a little bit of blood to make me see, it took a little bit of blood to wake me.” A steely pace enraptures as keys murmur, and energy crushes, bringing more metallic sentiment, squeezing your heart and mind. The pace trudges and quakes, filling your heart as Vernon concludes, “Time to move on, my friend, board the train, leave the station.” “Time Travel” opens with keys dripping, strings gliding, Vernon lamenting, “It can’t be made right, only in my dreams, all your science fails me.” Strings stiffen as the power jolts, organs chill, and the tumult digs deeper, Vernon noting, “I’m falling into fire.” “The Murder of Anna Brown” is the closer, and it’s based on the 2017 non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon, written by David Grann about the Osage murders that occurred from the 1910s through 1930s. Guitars pluck as the power arrives, Vernon singing, “She, so full of love, like the angels up above, she’s too pure to see that the devil lives inside of me.” The singing rushes, feeling raw in spots, and the strings kick up dust as the story unfurls. “And my soul? a small price to pay for the whole world,” Vernon levels, folkish melodies digging into veins, acoustics dusting as the darkness falls. “She remembers a time when the whole town greeted her, but now her body fell like a broken doll on the riverbank,” she sings, a final string of shots hitting harder, dissolving into the ground.
“Devotion” is an even fuller version of The Keening as it musically inches a little closer in sound to the reunited SubRosa. But make no mistake, this is a Vernon creation, and her final homage to her father and other dark stories that surround us make that evidently clear. This is a very personal record, and Vernon’s sharing it with us is a testament to her humanity and that our own struggles can help others at their most vulnerable.
For more on the band, go here: https://thekeeningmusic.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/collections/the-keening-devotion
For more on the label, go here: https://www.relapse.com/
