Review Summary: Unadulterated, peaceful monotony
Miraculously,
Weaving a Basket manages to feel as light as a feather and heavier than a ton of bricks at the same time. Sea Oleena’s sophomore album focuses on its gorgeous, minimalist ambience, while gently but confidently nudging its limited palette to the edges of this aesthetic, one song at a time. Every second is undeniably beautiful if somewhat harmless in its own right, yet, the record truly shows its astonishing impact when experienced in full. Each expansive moment is wonderfully glued together by Charlotte Oleena’s gorgeous voice, as the amount of care taken to construct the atmosphere is fully tangible.
Throughout
Weaving a Basket, calming sounds of nature provide pristine frameworks for the relatively simplistic songs. ‘Carrying’ primarily relies on gentle acoustic strums and Oleena’s soft hums, while a mild breeze transforms into a steady draft, gradually getting more prevalent. Combined with the gorgeous, washed-out synths that guide the song’s middle section, every low-key element collaborates in perfect harmony with one another to construct the perfect atmospheric experience. This calm wind returns in the ten-minute epic ‘Gardens’, where the crystal clear acoustic ambience of the track’s first half slowly disintegrates into a carefully woven array of sound, demonstrating the sheer potential beauty to be found in unadulterated, peaceful monotony.
As showcased by this contrast, Oleena appears impressively aware of when to use words, and when merely her voice suffices. On ‘Will I Know’, she obscures the lyrics while expertly evoking the exact feelings and connotations through the song’s ambient textures: ‘Late at night, walking home / Moon is bright, I’m alone’. Similarly simplistically effective lyricism cuts its way through the atmosphere more clearly on ‘Lost Song’, where Oleena seems to abstractly sum up the precise nature of
Weaving a Basket: ‘Shadows climbed the walls that you had painted white / I urged you not to close your eyes’.
Every aspect of
Weaving a Basket appears to be tailor-made for closing one’s eyes, yet, the many small details weigh surprisingly heavy, truly revealing the emotional impact of the album. Embracing the soundscapes is more than worth it: allow yourself a moment of serenity navigated by Sea Oleena’s unparalleled grasp on weaving sonic patterns of sheer beauty.
