Kittens Slay Dragons - Big Big Heart (2017)

Written by Mike Saulman, posted by blog admin

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Big Big Heart from songwriter Sarah Donner’s electronica project Kittens Slay Dragons is one of the best examples of the form released in recent memory. It is, likewise, an intensely personal project that finds this performer bringing layers of heart into her music. Many might deride electronica as too cold, too mechanical, but any dissenting voices offering up such opinions will find themselves completely rebuffed by the warmth and artistry coming from this release. Donner’s pop sensibility makes every song on this release an adventurous experience – she has a vibrant, youthful voice that cuts through the production and infuses each song with unique and highly individual tone. Even during the album’s more serious moments we can hear an effortless playfulness sure to entertain many. Kittens Slay Dragons doesn’t have the feeling of some one-off or a dalliance – instead, the album’s ten songs make an impact and sound like fully realized musical compositions.

The quicksilver synthesizer playing forming the backing track of “Gatekeeper” gives Donner’s voice and clean, uncluttered platform for making a personal statement. Donner’s brand of songwriting allows her to make such personal statements, however, without ever risking obscurity and the visceral edge to her pop vocals brings an added theatricality to the sound that’s never overdone. There’s a lighter, chiming quality to the synths on “Castiel” accompanied by some assertive percussion and a thumping bass beat. It strikes quite a contrast with the pure pop exuberance of Donner’s voice, but the differences work well. “Smile Pretty” varies the approach. Instead of pursuing an urgent line of attack, Donner writes much more emotional effect here instead of physical. Her voice is a constant strength appealing to that side of her music, but the near-ambient textures of this song are a marked change. It, likewise, showcases her voice to fantastic effect.

The title song runs along similar lines. It has a strongly swirling, evocative quality much more concrete than the aforementioned song and its melodic virtues are stronger. Donner combines a more measured take on her style here and mixes it with her customary emotional high points in a memorable way. The relentless pulse of “Queer and Square” is accompanied by taut synthesizer lines and a focused vocal from Donner that hits all the right marks. The uniformity and predictability of the track isn’t disheartening – instead, it gives the song a sense of dogged purpose often lacking in other styles that never lacks the requisite warmth. There’s a deep and simple groove quickly struck by the song “Symbols in the Sky”, but it has a great hook that Donner exploits to its maximum potential. There are some particularly strong synth lines in the song’s second half that adds to its rambunctiousness. The album’s conclusion “Head Down, Heart Up” has all the best qualities we associate with finales – this sounds like an impassioned personal statement designed to give the album a dramatic curtain. The song’s changes are inviting and natural sounding while Donner rises to the challenge of closing things with an exclamation point by serving up a lights-out vocal. Whatever genre it is, few acts today produce albums like Kittens Slay Dragons has with Big Big Heart.

Grade: A