Songs connect to people in different ways. Sometimes they hit you squarely in the face like a splash of cold water and sometimes they float on the surface of your awareness eventually seeping deep into your psyche. "Hand Wringing/In The Wings" by singer songwriter / actress / musician Brittain Ashford is more like the latter. Maybe because it hovers sonically in somber tones, oftentimes stair stepping downward and, in fact, some of the bottom drawn heaviness has touches of grunge atmospheres and if it weren't for the orchestral ascensions, the tonalities that beckon melancholy jazz and classical shapes, at it's core you might think of an artist like Stone Temple Pilots. But, of course, it does floats in all those complexities and Brittain's vocal melody certainly doesn't have the monotone directives of a Kurt Cobain but damn the emotional thread persists on my shoulder as I listen. If there is sort of genre blending or if I am just perceiving it, I appreciate it either way.
All that being said maybe there is a connection as Brittain did grow up in Seattle, now living in Brooklyn. Either way, I love the musical breaks that are as gorgeous as they are somber and I love how the musical landscapes are treaded on in the Official music video.
Press notes share:
[The enchanting music video for “Hand Wringing/In The Wings” was directed by Kelly Mena and choreographed by Reed Laplau and Justice Moore. Ambitous in scope, utilizing only two takes and many moving parts, Ashford thought it seemed unlikely that she would find the time (and money!) to actually make the video happen — thankfully the project recieved funding from The NYC Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, and the result is absolutely brilliant. On the surface, the video is a direct reference to Brittain's time working in commercial theatre, with a strong nod to Godard's iconic Bande à part dance scene. Hidden throughout are lots of little easter eggs for her fans, including elements from Great Comet and Ghost Quartet.]
[When Brittain Ashford’s father slipped away in the small hours of an October morning, she had little time to grieve. Contractually obligated to perform, it would be months before she would sleep in her own bed – and years before the weight of his loss would truly resonate. By the time it did, she believed that no one could understand. Adrift and consumed by grief she unceremoniously ended an engagement and found herself attempting to figure out what could possibly come next.]
I hope to dip fully into this album especially after hearing this lovely introduction.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1koDvHlefFvQiDXU3jj6e5
https://www.youtube.com/@kittendonut
https://brittainashford.bandcamp.com/
https://www.brittainashford.com/
https://twitter.com/brittainashford
When Brittain Ashford’s father slipped away in the small hours of an October morning, she had little time to grieve. Contractually obligated to perform, it would be months before she would sleep in her own bed – and years before the weight of his loss would truly resonate. By the time it did, she believed that no one could understand. Adrift and consumed by grief she unceremoniously ended an engagement and found herself attempting to figure out what could possibly come next.
In 2023, few are strangers to this type of loss. An unblinking meditation on grief and regret with a touch of optimism, it's Ashford's hope that those listening will find comfort in the work.
Ashford herself has said that the album is centered around, “finality and making regrettable decisions” but singles “Could’ve Done You Better” and “Hold On Tight” approach these “regrettable” choices with bounce and ease. In “Hold On Tight” she rhetorically asks, “why couldn’t I say all of the trash I had swimming in my head?” then adding, “I know loving me wasn’t always easy” before guitarist Drew Cooper lends some tasteful guitar licks, à la War On Drugs, to the mix.
“Slow Talk”, “Where Do We Go” and “When It’s Quiet” do some of the heaviest emotional lifting of the album, with “Slow Talk” being narrated from her father’s bedside: poignant musings about weather and talking to oneself over an arrangement that is reminiscent of Sigur Rós.
But even in moments of grief-fueled existentialism, optimism remains present. “Tea Leaves” invites the listener to look “down to the bottom” in search of “something that you lost… something that you forgot that you even wanted” and “The Sway” poses one of the more compelling questions of the album: “is it ever enough to know the truth and be ok with it?”
Trotter was recorded during the pandemic in a remote cabin on the Washington/Oregon border with longtime friend and collaborator Mark Robertson. Engineered by Robertson utilizing a mix of vintage tube mics and amps, a close listen of the album's cinematic opener "Could've Done You Better" reveals strategically edited fire pops from a wood-burning stove while "Slow Talk" utilizes the texture of heavy rainfall. Under the strangest of circumstances, Robertson and Ashford manage to create a world that is both lush and intimate, as playful at times as it is profoundly honest.
Additional remote tracking was done with New York friends Alec Speigleman on clarinet + flute (Cuddle Magic, Lake Street Dive) and long-time right-hand-man Drew Cooper on guitar. Local pals Weeze Ford (The Barbaras) lent her angelic backing vocals, Daniel Hunt (Neko Case, Ages and Ages) added percussion, with Bob Reynolds on drums and Chris Miller on additional piano. Worth noting that Robertson, who engineered the album, tracked his own cello, bass, synth pads, some guitars and backing vocals.
Trotter is half of Brittain Ashford’s given family name – her father’s name – and the name of her newest effort; he can be heard singing the folk song “Four Strong Winds” at the 4:36 mark on the solemn album closer, “Where Do We Go".
Having grown up in Seattle, Brittain Ashford now resides in Brooklyn.
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