by Matt Watton (@brotinus)
Nastavi, Caliope, the latest EP from Babehoven, the outlet for artist Maya Bon, is a must listen. Written in the wake of twin upheavals – the death of her dog and the reunion with her estranged father, Nastavi, Caliope captures the sadness, anger, isolation, and monotony of these moments, transforming them into a musically and emotionally compelling seven tracks.
Musically, Babehoven explores space and dynamics to great effect. Her songs are layered with sparse and crescendoing guitars, synths, and programmed drums (as on “Bad Week” or “Annie’s Shoes”). The openness of the instrumentation complements Bon’s vocal melodies, which are variously haunting, lachrymose, and captivating. Her timbre may evoke comparison with Adrianne Lenker or Kristine Leschper (of Mothers) or even Arthur Russel, but Bon comes out as singularly evocative singer. This is accentuated on the Beat Happening-esque harmonies on “Like Artists Making Offerings” and the frantic multitracked conclusion of “Alt. Lena”.
The standout of the record in its lyricism. Each track is a fragmentary reverie, largely unembellished language with flashes of poetic radiance. She captures the everydayness of the experience of loss (playing Words With Friends, drinking chocolate milk, heated blankets) and, when all words fails, defers to the visceral, naked truth: “I feel fucked up, I feel fucked up” (‘Orange Tree’). Thematically, the EP is about closure – or rather, a lack thereof. Endings, whether of life or estrangement, so rarely provide the tidy conclusion we’ve envisioned, and Nastavi, Caliope captures the forlorn mixture of grief and bile and abandon and acceptance of an ending. At just over 23 minutes of music, it is amazing how effectively Babehoven has distilled this into her brilliant, eminently listenable EP.