Staff Reviews

Heather Woods Broderick - Glider

Review by Gavin Miller

For those of us with a melancholic heart, this could be our record of the year»

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Heather Woods Broderick excels at distilling her experiences into a soulful melancholy that's enduring both for it's intimate relatable moments and its persistent sense of mystery. Her uncanny ear for evocative production and gorgeous vocal harmonies serves her well on her new album Glider. Throughout the album, the rich dreamlike atmospheres she creates hint at a darkness looming on the horizon, while the singularity of her ethereal voice always seems to linger long after the music has stopped. As a talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Heather has had the opportunity to record and tour with plenty of incredible artists including Horse Feathers, Efterklang, and Sharon Van Etten, which has kept her moving house and traveling around the world for much of the past decade. As a talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Heather has had the opportunity to record and tour with plenty of incredible artists including Horse Feathers, Efterklang, and Sharon Van Etten, which has kept her moving house and traveling around the world for much of the past decade. Though the songs on Glider aren't explicitly about touring, her life on the road provides the backdrop and context for her songs that are often about relationships that naturally fade as two people grow apart. More confident and self-assured than ever, songs like "Fall Hard" evolve from vulnerable bare piano and vocals to hypnotizing swells of vocals reminiscent of Grouper or Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser. Her voice soars in stride with a wall of guitars on "Wyoming", while "Mama Shelter" introduces a gentle groove as Heather conjures the sensuality of Stevie Nicks. The album closes with the heartbreaking "All for a Love", ending with the refrain "I can see our love is dragging you down." As dark as the sentiment can be, Heather always seems to be leaning into the light.
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