'The Caretaker' Review: Half Waif's new album crafts storytelling with musical themes steeped in creativity
Nandi Rose, better known by her stage name Half Waif dropped her new album 'The Caretaker' on March 27 and here's what we gathered from its intoxicating qualities.
An album of elaborate effects, giving a poignant sense of musical tapestry and a juncture at the journey for independence and the compelling reality that we need each other, 'The Caretaker' crafts storytelling with musical themes that appear to dip its fingers in sounds from Imogen Heap, Radiohead and the vocal patterns of Sarah McLachlan.
According to a statement describing the album as Rose's creation of "the lush world of a humid summer night, dreaming of and reaching for a season in which she is her best self", she spoke on the inspiration behind its title.
"I kind of created a character," she says, explaining that the character of The Caretaker is "someone who has been entrusted with taking care of this estate, taking care of the land, and she’s not doing a very good job."
She adds, "The weeds are growing everywhere, and she’s not taking care of herself." The album's opening track 'Clouds Rest' uses the lyrics "Going nowhere fast now" to introduce such a plight.
Waif sings in an inverted harmonic acapella before softened strings and an echoed mallet instrument plays in similar resonance to your aqua-themed OceanLab track.
A humming trance-like meditation plays as she proclaims "I’ve been running uphill. And still no view. Try to keep it in mind. To be kind to. My only one body. My only one body" at the end of the song.
Half Waif doesn't back down from flexing her creative muscles on 'The Caretaker'. From start to end it feels as if she stood on a diving board, looked her audience dead in the eye and dove straight into her creative pool of thought, yet made us subconsciously note that she's done the laps before.
'Siren' brings flutters of a classic 16-bit video game score, an element of subtle cybernetic dystopia with warm synth, and a sun-kissed piano melody that light up a carefully crafted mix of musical magic.
Waif's mezzo-soprano voice deepens on 'My Best Self' over a variety of percussive tones used for the beat including industrial and a slight dub effect on the bass drum.
Rose keeps her vocals on the instrumental 'Lapsing', a pulsating track that warps each note and carefully adds a touch of the bizarre where the pitch of the song bends at points, a possible gesture of the leanings toward one side in the mystery of a dual mind.
'Brace' reveals Rose's power behind a piano. In vocals resonating early Sarah McLachlan days, Rose plays a steady piano ballad singing "I see you walking in your town. With your head down. You always wore that place. Like a brace. Does it stop you. From breaking?" before Waif slopes the chord structure towards a hopeful tone.
Waif's new studio album follows the critically acclaimed LP 'Lavender,' which is named for the lavender that once grew in her grandmother’s garden.
'The Caretaker' comes as a pleasant surprise in the dimension of electropop and is highly recommended for those who appreciate an artist's creative intent while maintaining a level of professionalism that isn't over the top. A shimmering beauty and peace lie in its confident restlessness.