I’ve said before that I believed that Emily Barker’s excellent A Dark Murmuration Of Words was one of the most important albums of 2020. It stands out as a beacon of caution for everything that is going wrong with our world, but it does so beautifully, with conviction, and also with love. To compose such beautiful music, to perform it so well, and to have a cohesive message throughout, would seem like a hard act to follow. Barker seems to have acknowledged that with her reinterpretation of this excellent LP in Flight Path Rhymes (April 2021), complete with added spoken word prose from Barker’s notes. 

To highlight the stripped-down nature, each reinterpretation is condensed to a single word. Here When Stars Cannot Be Found, becomes simply Stars (seen/heard here). You can’t get the full effect of this collection, however, without the spoken word preamble that comes before each reinterpretation. That’s why this collection should be consumed from start to finish to get the full impact. 

Truthfully, these two LPs should both be purchased. Murmuration’s fully fleshed-out music provides the ultimate entertainment value of the two collections, while Rhyme’s stripped-down affair, provides the best messaging of the two. 

Emily Barker is not new to Vodka. You can find all of the posts, and explore more of her excellent music here. If you are looking for additional information, consider a visit to her excellent website which includes all of her social, streaming, and purchase links.

Consider adding both A Dark Murmuration of Words and Flight Path Rhymes to your music collection!

Note: In many areas, things are opening up again, with Covid-19 vaccinations helping to ebb the flow of the virus, But artists like Emily Barker and many others are still struggling to keep their heads above water. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. –Vodka