by Kris Handel
We'll Become the Flowers is New York based Eliza Edens’ second album of indie folk songs. The record is full of aching sadness contrasted with a whimsical hopefulness and acknowledgement of beauty all around, if we're open to seeing it. Eden's vocals have a way of cutting to your deepest feelings with their husky intonation and a warmth that proves itself soothing even at moments of despair and worry. She takes cues from the forebearers of the 60's folk traditions, people like Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon and Nick Drake, and mixes in a more pastoral element that elevates even the most simple moments into something invigorating. Edens’ songwriting has a lilting and poetic manner to it that plays into the music's rolling nature, illuminating both the pain and pleasure these songs build their foundation upon.
"Westlawn Cemetary" starts off with whistling keyboards before a slippery guitar line circles around Edens’ tale of passing time and growing up in a haunting sparse manner. Her sentimentality pulls at the heart strings as they draw the line between nature and the cycle of life as the song ends with her declaring "We'll become the flowers in time.” "Tom and Jerry" has Edens at their most poetic through a bit of soulful keyboard driven folk-pop full of longing, confusion, and disappointment. She still manages to keep an upbeat and airy mood with bouncy crooning, and an exploration of what one really needs to be satisfied and at what cost.
"How" is enhanced by the aching and howling pedal steel of Dex Wolfe as Edens contemplates working through relationship issues, doubts, and moving on while their vocals sway along with bobbing bass. She combines the painful beauty and jazzy melodicism of Nick Drake with the observational declarations of someone like Courtney Barnett, creating an intense and intriguing tune. "For the Song" has Edens playing a jumpy little riff encircled by bouncy upright bass from Pat Keen and a drifting pedal steel interjection that adds to the warbling performance. She lives in abstraction in this bit of self-reflection/dream-like tale of forcefulness and tenuous serenity that ends too soon.
Edens has produced a record that contains a mixture of jaunty bits of peacefulness with questioning expectations and dealing with the struggles life throws at you along the way. She shows off her fluid vocals with tight musicianship that combines classicism with twists and turns, bringing a new bit of color with them. Edens’ guitar playing rolls around throughout these songs, displaying a good deal of craft and skill that deserves attention and helps set the varying moods with a stunning ease. We'll Become the Flowers is a sturdy little album that allows her to assert herself as someone who is quite skilled at delivering their message with power and a beautiful grace.