An enchanting return, from the heart

After a 20 year hiatus, veteran singer-songwriter Beth Gibbons graces the scene with her long-awaited album Lives Outgrown. Though this is her first solo release, Gibbons is a historied artist. Prior to her break in the early 2000s,  she worked with her band, Portishead, to produce three albums. She featured in live performances and a handful of other artist’s work during her time away. But now she’s back in the studio to give us all a gift — from her heart, to ours.

The album opens on a melancholy tone with “Tell Me Who You Are Today.” Drums, guitar, a violin and woodwinds fade in and out in turn, keeping to a slow beat. Gibbons directly beckons the listener closer. Her mournful chant, “Come over, listen to me,” casts a spell on her already enchanted audience. As a widow’s wail brings sorrow, so to do the haunting lyrics and uncanny music behind them. It ends in silence, no final note to lead the next track — a definitive end to this chapter, not the story.

“Burden of Life” is a similarly somber song. The violin features prominently this time; its screeching as the bow slides over its strings are near fear-inducing when accompanied by Gibbons’ vocals. Though the lyrics are, again, more downcast, Gibbons makes a point to punctuate each verse with an equally terrifying instrumental refrain. Anxiety rears its jagged head more and more with every passing moment. Is this the burden of life? To be afraid? To not find solace in the passage of time?

The penultimate song in this album, “Beyond the Sun,” presents itself as a reflection. Gibbons questions herself, her fears and where they drove her. The backing music is faster paced than before, but still meant to be secondary to the vocals. She spends the second verse on another question: “If I’d remembered a moment before, would I have risen, not felt so unsure?” The instruments grow restless and raise in volume. Unsettling vocalizations replace Gibbons’ singing. This is no longer a quiet reflection. A frenzy takes over, a cacophony of piercing sound replaces the once solemn track. This was never a song about reflection, it is instead an audible representation of a self-induced spiral of doubt. Anxiety returns, no longer hiding, but dancing in the spotlight instead.

Lives Outgrown is an aptly named excursion into the pains of life. It is unapologetic, unashamed, and yet still quite afraid. To sing about such suffering is a courageous act. With raw emotion, Gibbons wears these dark colors proudly and has made them into a beautiful tapestry of her life.