Noe Venable- The World is Bound by Secret Knots Review

“The World is Bound by Secret Knots” has been out since 2003, so about five years now, but to this day it is one of the most interesting albums I’ve ever listened to, and I decided it would be a perfect place to start. “The World” was the first I’d ever heard of Noe, and it’s by far my favorite album of hers. The thing that really strikes me is how no matter how hard I try to assign a genre (and a music addict like me certainly would love to do that), it slips and twists out of it. A lot of reviewers stick it as Pop, but while there are some Pop songs on here, most of her work falls far outside anything you would hear on Top 40 radio (or most radio at all, really) and that seems too narrow of a view.

Her sound often borders on the psychedelic. In many ways it wouldn’t feel out of place in the 60’s or the 70’s, although it’s sparse but powerful use of electronic elements set it firmly in today’s music world. There are also elements of great folk-singers like Beck and Ani Difranco (who Noe toured with in 2002 when she was writing the songs for “The World”). Her voice is both  childish and powerful, often with punk intensity, but never unpleasant.

The album opens with a short, forgettable opener and goes on to my favorite set of songs. We have “Juniper“, a dark, frantic tale of the fear of persecution punctuated by a hypnotic cello. Next comes “Tower”, a soaring epic that begins with Noe begging someone (the listener most likely) to still love her after she reveals her secrets. The “Tower” in the song is where Noe locks her feelings away from scrutiny. “Tower” has quickly become one of my favorite songs of all time, with it’s breathtaking imagery in both lyrics and music, something incredibly rare. It ends with the tower finally crashing down, and then the CD can truly begin. After Noe’s fear of revealing her deep emotions are done and over with, realizing that no matter how hard she tries, she has to open herself to scorn, she does beautifully.

“Black Madonna” is a brilliant song about disillusionment with religion and life in general, both mocking the people who put their faith into a deity only to be burnt time after time, and wishing that she could have faith in something that will actually come through for her. This song yet again features spectacular lyrics with clever turns of phrases and references.

“Garden” is next, a song with a meaning I still haven’t been able to decipher, but that makes it no less enjoyable. It’s probably the standout track on the album for a first-time listen, immediately accessible with its trance-like piano and violin, but with deep lyrics that hint at the dreamlike state of laying on the grass below a magnolia tree on a warm summer evening. There is also a melancholy tone of destruction here, with lyrics like “Now I am standing on a burning ship, clothes all flying in the wind.”

“Is the Spirit Here” is a Joan Baez- or Bob Dylan-esque acoustic balled about the hardship of life everywhere and the attempt to reconcile and find somewhere to be happy. This is the song that most reminds me of “Boots,” her previous release, and it greatly improves upon it. “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is the half-way mark of the album, dreamy and pop-like, a song about growing up and the fear and excitement that comes with it. “Feral” is the most electronic song on the album, and is a schizophrenic romp that deals with the hardship throwing away the shackles of family expectations and living as ones own person.

The next two songs, “Simple Song” and “Wings Again” are my least favorites, but I can see that they would appeal to people who enjoy more overt pop music. Both are interesting stories about entrapment and the ability to rise above oppression. “Lilies” is like a half-awake tale of a dream in a room with the thick scent of flowers. It’s truly beautiful in a very mellow way, and is great to meditate to (although almost all of the songs on the CD are). Then comes the short, forgettable “Doll Comes to Life.” Finally we have “In the Dark,” which is another song about childhood, this time the rejection of its joys that many people go through as they grow up. There’s also a short instrumental hidden track as part of “In the Dark.”

“The World is Bound by Secret Knots” is without question a masterpiece. It defies categorization, at times as intense as Punk Rock and other times as soft as a whisper before a dream. Noe’s voice and lyrics are also breathtaking, with deep, beautiful poetry and sometimes hilarious turns of phrases. If you don’t have this album, buy it now from Noe’s site or CD Baby. Noe also has a new release, “The Summer Storm Journals” that seems to be more of a return to a “Boots” sound, but it’s also a great album. Go to http://noevenable.com/ for more information and some life performances.

Buy the CD at Amazon.com or at Noe’s own store

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~ by infinitously on January 26, 2008.