Greetings dearest gentle readers, welcome to our blog. Let’s welcome AMANDA EMBLEM EXPERIMENT to our blog. Amanda Emblem Experiment is a singer and guitarist who lives in Mary Valley, South East Queensland. She has composed, recorded, and performed in Australia (and abroad) for the past 20 years under various guises, creating The Amanda Emblem Experiment in 2017. On 1st September she released an 11-song album called “The Wood”. Join me and let’s talk more about the album

The first song on the album is called “Hanging Flute”. The song opens with a lovely melody. This is an instrumental version of the last tune on the album named “Hanging Rock” It features the flute and has a lively minor vintage vibe. The artist wasn’t lying and she said this song would be ideal for a Tarantino soundtrack. Yes, I can see it now, a new cut of the movie “Django” with this soundtrack, what could be better than this? This lovely melody, ushers us into the album

The second song on the album is titled “Calm Seas”. The title of this song fits it so perfectly, it mentions an ideal and perfect day. A beautiful day on the sea with good friends is all you need to make unforgettable memories. Musically, this song is A celebration of coastal adventure with an acoustic, relaxed vibe. I definitely felt calm and inner peace when listening to this song because it literally transported me to the beach, just soaking up some fun and enjoying the ocean breeze

Next up is the song “Storm in my life”. The title of the song may be a little misleading. Before listening to the song, I thought its title meant the character of the song was in a bad relationship and a sign of doom but, interestingly enough, it is a beautiful and heartfelt declaration of love, once again proving that love can be expressed in different ways. Musically, the harmonica sound stood out to me because, it made us see her voice in a different yet flattering light

The next song is the namesake of the album “The Wood”. The song opens with a unique melody that will take you by surprise. The electric guitar sounds follow next as Amanda sings about how everything looks planned and executed in the woods. The song makes you look closely and see that it is as if, someone sat down and designed the wood. It also mentions the role that wood plays in keeping us warm in the wintertime. The vocals were extraordinarily beautiful and the atmosphere is serene, and the Sound is breathtakingly beautiful.

“Nananah” is the title of the next song. The song opens with a soft and dreamy guitar melody which has mouth percussion sprinkled into it. The song recounts the time the song’s character heard a song she had never heard before. She loved the song so much that she began to hum along. You can tell the impact and impression the song had on this character. I can proudly say that, this song is my “nananah”, it’s the song that I will never forget because of the amazing musicianship

“Ancient dingo” is the title of the next song on this record. The melody of this song’s intro contains a beautiful violin sound. For context, a dingo is an ancient lineage of dogs and they are commonly found in Australia. Now with this context, listeners can discern what the song is talking about. If you’re still confused, the song is about the interaction between humans and dingoes on Australia’s South East Coast which has one of shifting consequences. The musicality of this song has a little bit of classical music and a little bit of country and it was spectacular

Next up is “lazy Sunday afternoon”. The song opens with a country-infused guitar melody. Sundays are not lazy for no reason, Sundays are when we like to kick back and enjoy some downtime before Monday arrives. Ever taken a Sunday afternoon nap before?, Probably after church? This is so amazing and it’s a nap you wish could last forever. Musically, the song features slide guitar and layers of vocal harmony. This song was very thrilling and listeners will love it

“Thousands of songs” is the next song on the album. The song opens with a very exciting melody. Music is powerful, it has been proven to help with depression, grief, anxiety, breakups ups and many more. In this song, the character talks about how she has been saved by thousands of songs. She couldn’t be more right. Try to remember an important memory and you will notice that it had a soundtrack and even hearing familiar sounds/music has been proven to jog memory. Music is a hero that doesn’t wear a cape and we appreciate Amanda for reminding us about it. Music saves us all! Musically, this burlesque-style show music, featuring flautist Kelly King on lead vocals, is joyful and cheerful, with interwoven vocal harmonies throughout

Up next is the track “Stairs”. The song opens with a slow and soft melody. The song is A melancholic and emotive music that compares the stairs heading down to the seashore to those found in a city tube. The vocal performance is warm and emotive. The violin and flute solo was so precious, it brought tears to my eyes

The next song is called “Together Feeling (The Captain)”. The song opens with a soft and dreamy melody. This song talks about a Captain who guides and leads us on an exciting ocean river experience. This song was very soothing and peaceful. It really calmed my soul and I wish that listeners would have the same experience

The last song on the album is called “Hanging Rock”. The song has a lovely melody as its intro. The album begins and ends with mystery. The song is based on Lyrics inspired by the legendary Australian narrative, focused on the unwritten last chapter. The song oozes Spooky brilliance, dripping in reverb until the fade out.

According to the artist, The Wood” was first inspired by the pine kitchen table at which it was written, but upon closer investigation, it reveals a far deeper underlying concept. It is a musical product of the wonderful instrument on which it was written, her White Cedar Guitar, which was handcrafted by local luthier Karl Venz using wood from her property that had been struck by lightning. The rich tones and visual enjoyment of this instrument are breathtaking. Amanda never tires of playing this instrument, which was given to me by her partner Jimmy, but there’s more to ‘The Wood’ than just making it the title tune of my collection.

Amanda has written a marvelous album and she should be proud of it. She took something as basic as wood and transformed it into something magical. This is not an easy feat, and it takes real talent and skill to see something beyond its simplicity, something that not any creative can do. The production of the song was by producer Andy Tainsh. He contributed to the soundscapes, employing his musicianship and studio prowess by performing on the album on piano, keys, bass, and slide guitar. I loved this album and I am excited to see what this artist will do next

Stream “The Wood” on Spotify 

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