Northwest CanCon

Amy Millan released her second solo album, Masters of the Burial, in September. If Amy’s name isn’t immediately familiar to you, you might recognize her as the female vocalist for the band Stars. And if that name isn’t familiar to you, you might recognize them from their other band, Broken Social Scene.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW

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Millan, who launched her solo project with Honey from the Tombs in 2006, describes her music as “toxic roots.” That description is clearly appropriate for her first album, in which almost every song references alcohol in one way or another. The booze is gone on Masters of the Burial, and the album is a whole lot sweeter.

That’s not to imply that it’s sugar-coated cotton candy by any means. Millan still sings about breakups and loss. But the bitter edge is gone, replaced by sadness, resignation and sometimes even a bit of optimism.

Masters of the Burial is also a lot more musically consistent than Amy’s previous work, even though 4 of the 11 tracks are covers. Sure, she turns up the electrics a bit on her cover of “Run for me,” and “Bound” is pure country, but the rest of the album sits squarely in the alt-country spectrum.

The bottom line is that the album is pleasant to listen to. Amy’s sweet, ethereal voice is a great companion for when you’re home alone with nothing particular to do on a drizzly grey Saturday afternoon.

See exclusive photos of Amy’s performance at the Doug Fir Lounge here.

Click below to watch Amy’s video for “Bury This.”

Download the interview.