Melissa Auf Der Maur
Out Of Our Minds

It seems that one of the faces of the Goddess is that of the Morrigan, the warrior bearer of death, who, in turn, is cloaked with a dark and terrible allure. Exactly to the Morrigan I thought as I glanced at the cover of Melissa auf der Maur's new album, intrigued by the dark shades shrouding the singer, by her raptured and contemplative expression, almost shamanic, as the wind tosses her hair.

A cover that does not betray expectations, since the album unfolds as a gradual plunge into a dark and consuming eroticism, to which Melissa abides compliantly. The main theme resonating throughout the songs seems to be not so much the overused concept of love, but more specifically desire, experienced as a source of energy yet also a threat of dissolution. A desire cloaked in the dark suggestions that Melissa has accustomed us to in her previous album. Almost gothic suggestions, suspended between the darkness of a European forest and the gloomy emanations of a country cemetery, of American provincialism à la Stephen King or the melancholy tombs of Spoon River. 

These are chromatic nuances that Melissa outlines with the pervasive use of the bass, which lends the songs a sometimes nebulous, sometimes more substantial, but always physical and nearly tactile atmosphere. A physical perception of music that unleashes right from the initial track "The Hunt", a song almost entirely instrumental, supported by the throbbing of a heart that communicates a rising and excruciating (erotic) tension, culminating with the opening to "Out of Our Minds". The launching single unfolds with an ancestral scream, suspended between pain and pleasure, and with percussions heavy as crashes. An inner journey, initially rhythmic and hammering, then more fluid and captivating. 

Melissa speaks of herself, of the fire that consumes her from within. A force not to fear, but to listen to, which coincides with a new feminine awareness, as highlighted by the more rhythmic and hallucinogenic "Isis Speaks". It is followed by another instrumental track, "Lead Horse", which paints a grim Wild West landscape, a frontier village abandoned to the shadows of dusk. It's curious, by the way, that more than one instrumental track is present, given that in the previous album there weren’t any. With this new work, indeed, the singer is not always on the hunt for well-defined melodies to weave her songs. Instead, she prefers to elaborate less catchy musical solutions, yet not dispersive. She takes her time, giving the album a well-calibrated rhythm, juxtaposing more rhythmic and engaging tracks like "Meet Me On The Darkside" with more relaxed and introspective moments like "Follow The Map", "22 Below", or the dreamy "This Would Be Paradise". Introspection is nonetheless  the backbone of the work, since Melissa never masks herself, placing herself always at the center of the songs, without pretenses and filters, as in the poignant "Father's Grave" or in the concluding "1000 Years".

In conclusion, we are facing a great demonstration of skill by Melissa. While maintaining the dark atmospheres of the first album, she has managed to better develop the issue of the already excellent arrangements, rendering them more varied to utilize a broader and less monotonous expressive spectrum. In the final analysis, "Out of Our Minds" is a more mature and personal work, the culmination of a multi-year effort. A remarkably precise and coherent work, brought to light with a steady hand but above all with passion, a desire to create, to express, and to intrigue.