Anna Bolin – Call and Response: Songs of Daniel Knox Review

Covers of your work are surely a sign you have made it. Where to? Who knows. For Daniel Knox, the underrated chamber pop legend with a gift for melody and a voice like thunder, finds a select few tunes worked over by Anna Bolin. Her sharp collection on Call and Response: Songs of Daniel Knox, is a treat. Digging deep into Knox’s discography and pulling out some piano covers of Disaster among others is a delightful treat for those who wish to hear a new voice tackle some fine songs. Recorded over the course of last year and pieced together with a neat tie between each track, the Knox-featuring EP is a green light for artists comfortable with covers of their work.  

Opening instrumental Disaster | First Responder sets the mood neatly – working in conjunction with the spirited and darker charms of the chamber pop systems Knox would so frequently rely on. Shuffle on through to the instrumental wonders of ten-minute titan Dear Commander | To My Loyal and Abiding Soldier. These pieces are just as much from Bolin as they are from Knox. A cover and response – it takes a little too long for this title to click in the mind of someone who has not had their required gallon of coffee. But when it does, it opens a wonderful avenue of new sounds and styles which benefits both the Knox original and the responding Bolin work. Intimate wonders and fitting explorations into how instrumentals can move you.  

Knox deep cuts are always a treat to hear and having them responded to with a grand understanding of the works ahead and behind is a real, rare treat. Bolin has captured this with tremendous strength. Courageous and gutsy responses to some well-rounded songs, particularly Dear Commander when recorded to the backdrop of the Fall Equinox, add a neat layer to it all. Those alarm bells ringing through To My Loyal and Abiding Soldier are uncomfortable in all the right ways, like an elevator ding in a flat without access to such technology. Bolin is capable of striking fear and discomfort all the while bringing out tender and well-structured melodies. It is a nice balance and keeps a level of interest running along through this six-track piece nicely.  

Responding to songs which have moved you is inevitable – where it takes you is completely unique. To hear someone interact with and reply to work which has no doubt innovated or touched them is remarkable and Call and Response: Songs of Daniel Knox is a real treat of a listen. Shimmering, shaking strings on Armageddonsong | Suicide Note round this EP off wonderfully, an instrumental masterclass which rises as though regal tones flow through it. These are the ascended charms of a musician confident in tackling this material, fashioning her own sound through it yet adding some charms and response of her own. A necessary experiment and a worthwhile experience which charts some wonderful delves into the crash of Armageddon, the comfort found in the playful piano tones and a real glimmer into how long-lasting and dependable Knox’s work is.