Piney Gir – The Yearling

Piney Gir

Piney Gir is an unusual artist. Born and raised in Kansas, USA, she eventually settled in London and her debut album of electronica music was released in 2004. The Yearling however has dramatically strayed from her original releases and presents a fusion of folk and twee influences, with a nod of the head to her beginning interests in electronica and several other classification-dodging genres. As I said, Piney Gir is an unusual artist.

Her electro background shines through on several tracks on the album. For instance, ‘There Was A Drunk’ is, on the surface, a pleasant enough folksy ballad. However towards the end of the song, there are clear undertones of synths and digitalised drum samples. Similarly the track ‘199 To Elephant And Castle’ shows that Piney Gir isn’t afraid to take risks and push the boundaries. An experimental, A Capella track that works well as an interval in the album, and as a distraction from the typical folk standard, crafted by  acts like Lisa Hannigan and Laura Marling.

The variation on display on the album is one of its key draws. The album zigzags between twee moments such as ‘Blithe Spirit’ and ‘Blixa Bargold’s Bicycle’ with much darker material, like ‘Weeping Machine’. ‘Blithe Spirit’ however borders on being so incessantly twee, so saccharinely sweet that it becomes almost a task to listen to. The lyrics rhyme in a way that you’d expect from a twelve year old poetry competition, and it becomes cringeworthy about 30 seconds in. ‘Blixa Bargold’s Bicycle’ on the other hand displays Piney Gir’s penchant for storytelling, a feature that shines through on many of the album tracks. In a way similar to Regina Spektor she uses her songs to create imaginary situation to transport the listener.

When the music takes on a darker tone however the style becomes very interesting. I have already mentioned ‘Weeping Machine’ which produces possibly the most bitter side you’re likely to see of Piney Gir. What appears to be an attack on a previous lover is combined with ethereal synthetic strings to create a spine-tingling experience.

As you would expect though, in an age seemingly devoted to singer- songwriters, there are some truly radio-friendly moments on the album. Tracks like ‘Say You’re Sorry’ and, particularly, ‘Oleanna’ would, by my estimation, do incredibly well were they given appropriate promotion. Unlike some attempts on The Yearling they follow an incredibly marketable style and suggest a bright future for Piney Gir.

The overwhelming feeling after listening to the album is of the variety on offer here. The musical styles themselves have a fantastic range that stop the 50 minute plus album from dragging, and the combination of straight forward folk songs to the more experimental tracks provides an insight into Piney Gir’s previous recordings. There are a few minor quibbles, sometimes the tracks are too sweet, and sometimes the experiments don’t pull off. But more often than not the result is, if not essential listening, a decent attempt at something slightly different.