Collaborative, exploratory, an emotional rollercoaster: The Glass Dress and a Ringing Bell is an immersive and raw concept album. The new 10-track record from Sukie Smith, frontwoman of Madam and Tricky collaborator, creates a sonic world to encapsulate the intensity of Smith’s past few years. Predominantly recorded with Nick Trepka, it navigates musical genres and eras as well as instruments, blending found sounds and synths and natural-sounding guitars.
‘Betrayal’s just another word’
The overarching feeling of the record is one of letting go, even if it takes plumbing the depths of one’s emotional response first. That’s why the first track’s line ‘betrayal’s just another word’ is so great; the anguish and anxiety of being betrayed is explored by the opening track’s ethereal and building aural landscape. The track, ‘End of Expectation’, sets the album up as an uneven purge. It explores the complications of the idea that betrayal is painful and distressing, but, also, just another word.
‘This is real, this is real, this is real, this is real’
I was initially dubious as to how effective the use of found sounds as instruments would be, for example, the rhythm in ‘The Witches Daughter’ is punctuated by the sound of a percussion box being thrown down the stairs. We’re all used to strange sounding instruments by now, I thought, how effective can they be anymore? But there’s no doubt that there’s an (intentionally) unsettling feel to the album and the found sounds and field recordings have very likely contributed to that.
“I wrote this, and escaped”
Highlights of the record, for me, were the moments of relief, such as the notably upbeat tracks ‘Into the Light‘ and the final ‘Move Towards The Storm.’ The latter’s use of hospital-like background beeps, sweeping synths, and helicopter beats builds into a determination for hope.
The Glass Dress and a Ringing Bell is an album to step and surrender into.
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