Album Reviews

William Fitzsimmons – Lions (Netwerk Recordings)

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William Fitzsimmons LionsYou know that period of time months after you’ve lost the love of your life and the moment right before you find someone new? The essence of those emotions is captured in these 12 tracks.

The melodies are ever changing but still very simple. Some songs are only carried by four main notes and only variations of those four notes, yet Fitzsimmons is able to sing between the notes—sounds you wouldn’t think go together fit like matching puzzle pieces.

At first, the simplicity of the songs may make it seem that all of Fitzsimmons’ lyrics-to-notes could’ve been easily written by anyone, maybe even a child. The arrangements pull you in to this no-shoes-gazing-into-the-distance-on-the-porch type of nostalgia, and there’s that indisputable beauty in the melancholia.

If you listen closely, you’ll pick up on Fitzsimmons’ soft-spoken words regarding subjects such as the body, the blood, bones, and discover you’ve been listening to very dark ideas, shrouded by the lightness of his strums and accompaniments. 

In a phenomenal kind of way, no matter how the song flows in volume or speed, his voice has minimal change and is the constant throughout the album. What’s more, Fitzsimmons alludes to strong spiritual themes in his mention of blood, bones, breath, and lions, furthering somewhat of a biblical theme. 

At one point, he sings, “There’s a quality of pain, for you she will endure,” and listeners (women and men) will.

– Kathryn Yao

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