Annabel Lee - “Los Angeles”
Photo: Grace Sims
California-based artist Annabel Lee might be known for her maniacal stage presence and force-of-nature vocal abilities, but we’re not really here to talk to you about that. Because what she’s brought to the table with her new track, “Los Angeles,” is a raw and emotional masterpiece.
Before we get into our review, it is not uncommon for submissions to include a list of similar artists, which, more often than not, is simply a roster of influences bearing no real resemblance. So when we saw Fiona Apple listed here, we were immediately intrigued, but we did not get our hopes up– Apple is one of our all-time favorite artists and her shoes are not easily filled. However, straight out of the gate, “Los Angeles” opens with Lee’s fantastic vocal and the ONLY comparison we could immediately draw was to Apple. And since we often have to wait eight years between Apple’s releases, Lee’s performance on this track satisfies a hunger that has long needed satisfied. But rest assured, once the track gets rolling, she is not afraid to let her unique light shine.
The subject matter here, gliding over the top of a sparsely recorded soundscape, will rip out your f’ing heart. The lyrics take you on a ride through Lee’s past, her weaknesses, her trauma, and, on a more hopeful note, some sort of catharsis– it is a beautifully tragic ride in which many listeners may also catch glimpses of themselves, hate themselves, then, in a perfect world, love themselves again. When the vocal harmonies appear at about the fifty-second mark, that’s when we decided that this track was destined for our blog– or perhaps the other way around. And please forgive us, Annabel, if we mess up your lyrics, but when your listeners hear: “I would smoke a pack a day… I wish the cancer would have its way so I’d quit waking,” it will surgically remove any remaining evidence of their hearts. This song can be quite lyrically abrasive and it was very likely difficult to write, but it is also what makes it rise to the surface of an endless sea of new music. “Los Angeles” is definitely going into our list of favorites and it is highly unlikely that it will be unseated any time in the near or distant future.
Lee adds: “Los Angeles is a song I wrote at my rock bottom… It’s the true story of leaving an eight year relationship, living out of my car, escaping all the way into all of my vices, and entering the darkest mental space I’ve ever experienced. I guess it felt easy to blame the city where it all happened, but this place can really feel like it has a personal vendetta against you. It’s the feeling of that Winston Churchill quote--‘If you’re going through hell, keep going.’” We hope that Lee has found her way back to the surface and that this track finds its way into the ears of many listeners.
“Los Angeles” comes from Annabel Lee’s forthcoming LP, Mother’s Hammer, which you can pre-save here.
-TM