MP3 Review: Amber Edgar "Good Will Rise"

[$5 to Download // http://amberedgar.com/album/good-will-rise]

Though these are a mere four songs by Amber Edgar each of them is almost like a small album within itself.   It begins with the sound of an acoustic guitar that has a dark sound to it but also reminds me of a protest song feel.   There is what I hear as a trumpet as well but then by the second song we find the sounds of soft tones (which do remind me of a dialtone) which turn into a full on electric band and the music just becomes so powerful and triumphant.    Musically, it has that soft edge to it where you almost want to think of it as being one of those softer artists closer to the pop side of things (Kimbra comes to mind right away for me), but yet there is still something in there that doesn't push it to become that way in full.   From the simpler beginning sound to the way the sound just evolves throughout the four songs, Amber Edgar (along with other musicians) has created something here that other artists struggle to accomplish with ten or twelve songs at their disposal.

On top of this we have lyrics about different subjects but despite the more pleasant nature of the music itself (It is easy on the ears) the songs contain a sense of loss, heartbreak and just the every day things which come with life but are not always talked about in public.   I'm not implying that this music should be met with songs about birds and butterflies-- you know, pretty things-- but it also doesn't feel like it should deal with these topics.    I just feel like the music is rather beautiful and the content of the lyrics is just so ugly it doesn't match up on paper but of course Amber Edgar finds a way to make some of life's necessary ugliness work here.    Though as I think about it and look for a comparison, I actually can't think of something that would be considered "normal" for these lyrics either.    Maybe something like Elliott Smith or Everclear, you know, songs that seem to more closely related to depression and death, but these songs just sound like life to me.

The thing that I learned about, from mental illness, is that you can't supress it and try to hide it.  Singing songs about it- singing songs about your troubles- just seems to help you cope with them more than cause you more problems and seem to lead you down that bad road.   Often times people will believe if you're listening to songs of a certain nature they might negatively impact you as opposed to healing you.   Regardless of what you think of these lyrics or choose to read into them, I definitely feel as if these songs are a part of the healing process for me and could be for just as many other people as choose to listen to them.    Of course any time I can hear any sort of music that is theraputic such as "Good WIll Rise" I can only help promote it so those who need it can hear it.