Nancy Elizabeth: Battle and Victory

ISTANBUL – A Saturday morning. Rather midday actually. Waking up to a silent, relaxing day hoping to chuck out all the exhaustion piled in during the whole week and Friday night. Silence seems so lonely and incomplete without a supplementary sound to leak in your cells, and excrete some musical endorphine. What to listen in this fine Saturday? Some calm, gentle cloud of melodies to caress your mind away from worries, maybe? Just like sort of a thermal theraphy… Some acquaintance timbres to flow in the heart and make you remember your favorite movies… Few moments of thoughts and I know what it is. Browsing the letter “N” in my library to put on Nancy Elizabeth’s debut wonder, Battle and Victory quickly.

For those who are yet to hear of Nancy Elizabeth; she’s a talented musician up from North of the UK, Lancashire. One of the few female vocals that leave me in awe. Not only for the perfect colour of her voice but also because of the admiring genuinity of her music which is a rich compound to synthesis variety of genres together. Ethnic to ambiance, new age to acoustic, post-rock to celtic – balkan – eastern folk; she has too much to share in Battle and Victory. So far, she has performed quite many gigs some of which were supports for some amazing bands such as: A Hawk and A Hacksaw, Tunng, Marissa Nadler and James Yorkston. She has also been compared to some talented female musicians as well; Marissa Nadler, Joanna Newsom, Nico… It sounds all great till now, isn’t it? Let’s go on then.

Battle and Victory is Nancy Elizabeth’s debut album that is released in 2007 through The Leaf Label. In 2006 her debut EP: The Wheel Turning King was released by Manchester’s Timbreland Records under her full name Nancy Elizabeth Cunliffe.

Looking into these releases, you can see the musical way she has been leading is more or less the same. Except, maybe the EP sounds a little bit more oriental. Her poetic touches to harp and guitar, wealthy combination of ethnic instruments such as; dulcimer, khim, harmonium, percussion (most of which are performed by none other than herself!)… are seeking attention in both records. And bringing her a critical acclaim, expectedly.

First song, I’m Like the Paper is an impressive entrance notifying us about the eerie ambiance of the record. Her powerful singing here reminds me of Mia Doi Todd on some aspects.

Second track I Used to Try is also the second single out of the album. Absolutely glowing acoustic entrance with the world-music feel and Nancy’s softly hitting vocals rising with the melody makes this one hell of a marvel! No wonder that it is in the top 10 most listened tracks in my iPod already.

Off With Your Axe is one of the outstanding tracks in Battle and Victory. You could say it is the most “new age” sounding piece. This feel is oftenly felt in the album but it is the one that reminds me of Enya most.

The Remote Past is an excellent piece with the both crashing melody and lyrics! It is like a blend of Efterklang with Akron/Family and Mount Eerie. The main melody modestly hidden under the eastern type mellow beats is dechipering itself through Nancy’s dreamy vocals. How could you help bumbling along? Same bands again could be referenced for Lung as well. A spine chilling exhale in an afformative way! I get the similar feeling in 8 Brown Legs and What Is Human too. Couple instrumental tracks telling more than lyrics could do…

And Coriander! Such a stirring tune leading you on other lands. One could imagine listening to Goran Bregovic (or more contemporarily Beirut), lying on the Balkan fields. Or immersing in an Emir Kusturica film with your eyes dazzled on the screen… Is it me and my imagination or is this tune does really smell fresh coriander?

There is kind of a settling atmosphere entering with Hey Son: the first single. Which is ramping up in a heroic manner as she sings the “Hey Son” part. Clearly a cinematographic melody, bringing legendary heroes in the sight even if it is just for few secs.

Electric and How Can I Stop are decent mellow tunes as well as others. These two seem to be a bit more relaxing than others though. Nancy Elizabeth’s echoing vocals and the eerie ambiance of the instruments again crown it all!

Weakened Bow and the final -title track Battle and Victory are need to be mentioned with the glowing mellowness which happen to appear as sorta “boring” at first but then turning to be bewitching in further listens. The bit after the “pause” in Battle and Victory in particular, is sparkingly arousing. More the acoustic fest gets going, more enthusiastic gets Nancy Elizabeth’s alluring vocals. Well chosen as a final track!

Battle and Victory is a minimally dark album, budding eerie smelling fresh flowers all along. It is calm, lyric and sentimental. Like a quiet elegy crying out from very within and telling big sonorous things despite the quietness. Something you’d love to spend your Saturday with. Or anytime that you need to be musically cured….

Nancy Elizabeth – I Used to Try

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