by Kris Handel
No Roof No Floor is the first full length record from NY-via-Kansas transplant “dream pop” artist Scout Gillett. Following a covers EP of bands ranging from Broadcast to Brenda Lee, the full length does some tremendous work flushing out Scout Gillett’s personal musical kingdom. Her new record plays with folk traditions and airy keyboards over tales of loss, working through struggles with oneself and friends, all with a good deal of heartfelt intimacy. Though this is her first release under her own moniker, Gillett has been playing around the Midwest and NYC DIY scenes for a bit. She’s attained a steadiness and strong foundation for her flowing songwriting, stretching from truly haunting sorrow and sadness to moments of magical warmth, all while playing with a wide range of emotions in an intensely poetic and dramatic scope.
"Slow Dancin'" is one of the more jaunty songs on the record, pushed forward by bobbing bass and some odd synth bubbles that show up from time to time as Gillett's vocals swoop and bomb through her vocal range. The song has a propulsive beat and melody that features well placed guitar interjections. Gillett’s occasionally wailing vocals hit quite an emotional chord, demanding the listener’s full attention. "Signal" is a bouncy bit of pop with a post-punk wiggle to it as her vocals take full stage in between reverby guitar riffs and stuttering interjections of keyboards. The bass bounces around a solid kick drum beat and Gillett's soaring vocal gymnastics, adding a bit of tension and darkness that offers a great deal of welcomed depth.
The title track carries a mournful and slowly meditative melody enhanced by sorrowful steel guitar. Gillett recollects upon a past romance and finding peace in the circumstances of the present moments. The band puts in an extremely tight performance that slips and slides the mood shifts admirably and Gillett's vocals have an air of early Angel Olsen recordings with their own bite and bent. "Hush, Stay Quiet" has an eerie and slightly frightening Leonard Cohen meets Kate Bush environment to it as Gillett's husky vocals stretch out her consonants hauntingly. Her sorrow filled tale is deeply compelling and the almost glacial pacing of her accompaniment hammers home the discontent and questioning put forth in the lyrics in this tour-de-force of the album.
Gillett and company use all the tricks they can to make a deep connection with their audience. Her writing has an abstractness that carries a strong appeal throughout these tracks. This album has a way of gripping you and shrouding the listener in moments of eerie disquiet and frankness, while also doing a great job of mixing in moments of buoyant joy for contrast and pacing. Gillett plays with her influences and finds new and creative ways to juxtapose inspirations that may be odd bedfellows but she pieces them together in a manner that melds together into a rich and textural tapestry. No Roof No Floor shows a relatively new artist who is steady on their feet and willing to expose her struggles and fears while also persevering with a hopefulness that doesn't slip too far away, creating a record that is full of intensity and glory.