Recording under the Tiny Vipers moniker since 2006, Jesy Fortino has already begun to establish a little nook in which to perch amidst the overflowing sea of the independent folk revival. With Life on Earth, Fortino sheds any sign of pretension and simply lets her poetic lyrics carry the listener through; little is doubled, altered, or distorted in any way. For the folk purists out there, this is certainly an album worth exploring.
The most endearing quality of Life on Earth is its organic feel and sound. There are no percussion instruments or any sort of rhythm section here to keep time, only Fortino’s own playing. This absence of any rhythm instruments provides the catalyst for many of the record's greatest moments, achieving a perfect imperfection when the tempo becomes lost before eventually finding its way back again. Album opener, “Eyes Like Ours,” is a terrific example of this free form structure; instrumental breaks harbor on inaudible before coming back in with the verse. Though most apparent on “Eyes Like Ours”, Fortino relies heavily on these shifts in tone to bring each song on the album more dimension than a simple one guitar show.
“Dreamer”, the album’s most familiar sounding track, demonstrates Fortino embracing a more standard chord progression than the overtly technical ones that appear elsewhere on the album. However, don’t think that a more recognizable melody makes Tiny Vipers any less impacting.. “Dreamer” stands as a beautiful summation of Life on Earth as a whole. It is unbelievably pure and vulnerable in its delivery; making for a most honest and genuine sound that stays with you long after it has ended. The addition of any more instrumentation would stand only to harm the personal nature of the song, and album.
Impressive and exhausting at the same time, the album’s title track is a standalone epic where by rights there shouldn’t be one. Blending extended guitar breaks with lyrical intervention, “Life on Earth” demonstrates Fortino’s skill on the guitar as more than a mere accompaniment to her voice. Many of the breaks in the song are melodic and unique, not like much anything I have heard before on a folk record. It is clear throughout the song, and entire album, Fortino has forged a style which is hers and hers alone. Admittedly, there are times during the song when it tends to drag. As a live performance I think it would shine, but on an album it can be difficult to not daze off halfway in.
“Twilight Property” shows, for perhaps the only time on Life on Earth, the use of synthesized vocal effect. Fortino’s voice is heavily modulated in such a way that creates more feedback than anything resembling human vocals. While I can understand the desire for some alteration to keep things lively in the studio, this was not an effect that hit its mark. Instead, the sound was frankly pretty annoying, and unfortunately all but drowned out the lyrics to the song. For a song that could have been an interesting, and perhaps even beautiful experiment, “Twilight Property” is instead the biggest misstep of the album.
The Tiny Vipers’ sound on Life on Earth is for a particular mood. These desolate tracks will not always be appropriate, especially not on a beautiful summer day. In fact, they might just bring the rain. But it is nonetheless an honest portrayal of Jesy Fortino as she is, and at a time when music is so littered with artists putting on airs, Tiny Vipers can at the very least be exempt from that ever-growing list.
Track List:
1.Eyes Like Ours (5:51)
2.Development (6:08)
3.Slow Motion (4:04)
4.Dreamer (4:15)
5.Time Takes (5:52)
6.Young God (4:53)
7.Life on Earth (10:13)
8.CM (3:05)
9.Tiger Mountain (6:23)
10.Twilight Property (7:53)
11.Outside (6:03)
