Denton has given us another beauty, folks (pun intended). Dreamy, melodic, indie-folk rocker Claire Morales has delivered a mind-blowing album, Amaranthine, that will leave you wishing there were more than 10 tracks. The very title of the album gives the listener an idea of what they are in for, as the definition of amaranthine is everlasting, eternally beautiful and unfading. Morales’ vocals and lyrics evoke the kind of longing that leaves one remembering unrequited love and working through what it means to be human, to be an individual in a world filled with both beauty and pain.
Morales' songs each tell a story, and while that can be said of most music, what stands out about this album is her ability to draw the listener in with the lush vibrancy of her voice. There is an almost 60s-like feel to the way that Morales' vocals and guitar work blend with Ryan Williams' bass and Russ Connell's drum work. Morales uses her incredible vocal range to make each song different, while still maintaining the overall ethereal, nostalgic quality that seems to define the whole album. There is a hazy element to the album reminiscent of being somewhere between dream land and being awake...in those first moments when one does not want to wake up just yet for fear of losing the beauty of the dream.
Many of the songs on Amaranthine are, as I've described above, slow and melodic. The songs Lie I Love and Don't Lose Trace are perfect examples of the vocally-driven folk sound this band is so good at producing. However, Claire Morales’ band shows their folk-rock ability in the beat-driven songs Hemlock and Serious Young Things, proving that this group of talented young musicians is undoubtedly capable of giving the listener several different types of aural experiences in one exceptionally well-rendered and mastered album.
Claire Morales' album Amaranthine is set to be officially released on Feb. 21, with a release party at The Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios at 409 E. Sycamore St. in Denton at 9 p.m. For those of you who don't want to wait that long to hear them (and you shouldn’t...my advice is to see them as soon and as often as you can), they will also be performing on Feb. 20 at the Live Oak Music Hall & Lounge at 1311 Lipscomb St. in Fort Worth. To quote Morales in Hemlock, “I can be patient, yes I can,”....but it’s hard!