Polly Paulusma’s new album, Wildfires, goes against the grain. In an age of limited attention spans and content digested in quick doses, she has released a sprawling collection; 19 songs, each with a prologue that runs anywhere from 45-seconds to 3:49 and meant to be listened to in its entirety. A story of love that comes in many forms, from the love we feel as children, the love we share through music, teenage love, the love of lost babies, love of those now dead and love in all its guises from romantic passion to feelings that burn inside, not to mention the slow burning love of longer relationships, love of a divine presence, love beyond the grave and beyond the stars.
Working with veteran producer Ethan Johns, who developed the notion that the 22 songs Paulusma presented (and usually culled down to 10 or 12 by the producer) formed a journey through time, cataloging, in effect, 20 years’ worth of living. Recorded over the space of five days, with another day spent in the Preseli Hills of Wales, where Paulusma and Johns recorded spoken word passages in environments from churches, quarries, caves, riversides and by sacred standing stones. Taken as a whole, this is a work of vision and beauty unlike anything Paulusma has previously recorded.
The first half, ‘Sparks’, and the second, ‘Embers’, establish a framework for the songs and sounds that follow. From the waltz of ‘Paper Cathedral’, to the closing ‘Tiny Little Things’, this is a journey while not necessarily intended to leave you breathless, actually does that just that. Paulusma’s voice flexes and fauns over notes revealing a woman who hasn’t simply recorded these songs but lived them. In addition to her guitar and Johns drums and guitar, John Thorne plays double bass, while Neil Cowley is on the keys. Remarkably, using this relatively simple framework, the four artists form an exciting and engaging bond.
Opening with an ambient framework leading into the proto-waltz of ‘Paper Cathedral’, Paulusma sings, “Pass me the matches, help me set it on fire, this paper cathedral made of words and of wire/ I am your congregation, you are my lesson to learn/ so pass me the matches, let’s watch it all burn.” A fascinating study in the colours love takes and how our own notions of love change over time.
From the rusted roundabout of the prologue to ‘Mary Louise’, comes a tale of a teen-age friend, sent away from home. Eventually see falls to her death, yet perhaps it was a suicide, there is no way of knowing for sure. This album takes chances, there are no easy solutions just unanswered questions. Ending the first disc, ‘Scars’ deals with the physical and emotional toll of love. “You make it so damn hard not to love you, but it’s far too late to show you the door/So show me your scars from all the battles before me/I’ll remember them all in the morning.”
These songs ring with truths that could only come from experience, moments when what may seem banal become incredible in their transformative ability. ‘Tiny Little Things’ recounts those moments filled with everyday magic. “My love is in the kitchen, in the stirring and the sipping and the licking of the spoon/ And every day, my love is in the tiny little chores that fill a morning, and spill into an afternoon.” When Paulusma concludes with, “It’s in the drudge and the routines/That’s what love, love really means,” one understands magic comes from the oddest of places.
Wildfires is a testament to Polly Paulusma’s courage and ability to frame love with a remarkable accuracy. It’s not about great notions, but small moments that matter greatly.