While this is certainly the fate of a handful of souls destined to never maturate past a first album or single, Claire Heywood is a different type of soul. If you are looking for someone who has been putting sweat equity into a scene, she deserves a medal. She is intimately involved in the literary community, the arts, and music communities of Denver. Since The Wind, It Howls is the first time we are hearing from Claire, we are approaching her music with completely fresh ears.
Sonically this album is golden. Immediately it seems like a lot of thought was put into the production and specifically the arrangement of this album. Diving into the arrangement it is balanced in ways that are different (and better arguably) than the vast majority of music that we’ve heard from recently. Denver (and Colorado as a whole) has been making efforts to define its own style for a while now, one that is wholly different than what you see in other markets. It seems like Claire is falling right in line and pushing to advance the style at large. If you take a listen to The Wind, It Howls, you can hear that subtle Tennis influence and really start to feel a hard to describe style start to bubble up in the area.
I’m slightly biased as a keyboard player, and one who tends to be particular about the sounds of synths and pianos. As a poor artist, I am simultaneously aware of how difficult it is to find a studio with a real Hammond B3, or a real grand piano. So while excusing sampled keys to an extent, it’s a natural reaction that makes me cringe when I hear a hint of “grand piano” that is electric. It makes me nostalgic of a time when these electric pianos were so terrible they were being used almost ironically as opposed to a substitute for the real thing.
Claire Heywood’s album touches on a lot of darkness that seems to brew around, not the aggressive or angry kind of darkness, but one that seems more nostalgic. One of the best examples of this vibe is Old Soul’s Motel. There is a quality to this song that makes it SO accessible as far as licensing is concerned, but is one of those rare cases where it holds up as a genuinely good tune as well. As far as the “Sound of Denver” — the concept is vaguely bullshit, but realistically if there was ever going to be a common vibe, usage of guitar, or thematic connection, Claire would be right on the forefront of the curve.