Lindsay Pawlyk is a rising folk-alternative artist hailing from Selkirk, Manitoba. For the past few years, Lindsay has been writing and performing at local Winnipeg venues, crafting her musical and literary styles. Lindsay emerges with her highly anticipated release, Coil, released in February 2007.
Coil is an atmospheric journey that draws the listener into a collection of intriguing stories. The leadoff track, In the Dark, is a mysterious account that commands the attention of the listener. The title track, Coil, is a minimalist recording unveiling Lindsay’s vulnerability, a contrast to Cold Grey Stone, a punchy rock poem about disconnected city living. Her songs explore everyday life through the eyes of a discontent speaker, calling attention to the details of her surroundings and innermost thoughts. “There is certainly contradiction in this album,†Lindsay says. “I wanted to bring out the detached reaction I got from moving to the city from the country, but also be defenseless and exposed and personal.†With her vocal range of a melodic whisper to a defiant howl, Lindsay delivers this aim with Coil.
Lindsay grew up in a musical environment, learning piano throughout grade school and studying trumpet for six years. She taught herself to play guitar, with some instruction from her mother: “My mom played rhythm guitar in a punk band when she was younger. She helped me get started.†Growing up in the prairies of rural Manitoba offered Lindsay a welcome sense of isolation. “I grew up surrounded by fields and forest. It offered a lot to the imagination, and I would go outside in our little forest and sing as loud as I wanted to,†Lindsay laughs. Lindsay wrote many songs throughout her teenage years, but it was not until her twenties that she felt confident about her songwriting. “I moved to Winnipeg, went to school, lived by myself…it was definitely a very formative period. It was a long way from the teen angst driven stuff I wrote earlier on. Having more life experience was the key for me, but I’m still young and have a long way to go.â€
Lindsay began performing with gigs held by campus groups at the University of Manitoba where she studied. Onstage, Lindsay is magnetic, crafting loops of vocal and guitar melodies into lush harmonies. The calm intensity of her performances grabs hold of the listener and does not let go. Since the release of Coil, many doors have opened for the rising musician. Lindsay has opened for folk-rock artist Dan Bern on his most recent North American trek. Her onstage experience also stretches abroad to Europe, performing in Berlin as part of a Popkomm showcase in 2006. Coil has also hit CBC and campus radio airwaves garnering further exposure for her music.
Reviews
Review by Gisele Grignon at www.nowontour.com:
Maybe it's just me and my distaste for tobacco. Or maybe it's my previous incarnation life as a public health writer. Point is whenever I hear words like: "cigarette..." I immediately think :PSA. Regardless of the real or imagined subliminal message, one thing about Lindsay Pawlyk is monstrously obvious: This gal's got pipes (again, with the smoking analogies, but it's the last. Honest.) and they're not limited to straight-ahead melody lines.
Her talent for harmonies is pure, honest and so silky it almost out-smoothes her main vocals. Almost. She's also as addictive as nicotine (ok, that's it or my name isn't Jeffrey Wygeant). "In the Dark," the first cut on Coil, steps right up and shines the light on Pawlyk's seamlessly effortless vocals, an original and perfectly-hued pastiche of a low (or lower) key Holly Cole and Diana Krall - jazz light, but in the complementary, not pejorative sense, ya dig? The CDs title track, for some as yet unknown reason, reminds me of the late '60s-early '70s hippie dippy but infectious soundtrack to The Graduate or similar offerings of that period.
Maybe "hippie" is off by a few years. "Cold Grey Stone," for example, could have easily been yanked from a darkly lit, single mic, finger-snapping, table-light flicking and (surprise) smoky back-alley, cave-like venue. I'm now, officially (and mercifully) out of hyphens, and smoking references, but this review would be incomplete without this loud and clear message:
Pawlyk is a strong, unique, intriguing and highly listenable talent. Plug her in, sit back and allow yourself to be swallowed up by her naughty and nice, sometimes quirky, always rewarding style. This is one Winnipeg folk-alternative singer-songwriter worth watching for in the not-too-distant future.
Point to ponder: Verb to describe listening to this CD over and over again: Recoiling.
