Album Review: ‘Cinders’ by Larkk

Danielle McTaggart, member of the Juno-winning duo Dear Rouge, has released her first solo album, Cinders, under the name Larkk. Produced by Thomas D’Arcy, the album is concise, and lyrically and sonically expansive. It’s a beautifully layered, baroque-folk project, combining intimate vocals with rich orchestration. The album shows McTaggart’s skill as a solo performer in a very different style of music from Dear Rouge.

Like seemingly almost all music released during the past half decade, Cinders’ conception was heavily influenced by the pandemic. According to Larkk’s website, in that time of extreme uncertainty, especially for working and touring musicians, McTaggart discovered the poetry of Derrick Brown. The two began a long-distance collaboration, which resulted in Cinders.

As a whole, the record is a pleasure to listen to. There are moments of musical grandeur that are well balanced out by lyrical specificity. The album has beautiful, lush production sounds that utilize not only piano and organ but also bird and rain noises. The whole experience is immersive. 

McTaggart is a pared back singer — her power doesn’t come from forcefulness or volume. Her voice is recorded in a way that elevates its close and intimate sound. And, she has a specific, delicate way of delivering lyrics, no matter what they are. In “Share of Dreams,” McTaggart softly sings the most purposeful, delicate instance of the word “dogshit” being sung that I’ve ever heard. 

The orchestration for this album is incredibly varied but consistently thrilling. The strings specifically, played by Drew Jurecka and Brian Chan add beautiful depth and texture to the title track, “Cinders,” and “Cuckoo.” The record also contains some very beautiful instrumental tracks that act as interludes. “Caverns” is a piano-only track, and its tone and production is very pleasing. “Interlude” is also a beautiful musical nugget which leads into one of the album’s highest point, “Devastation’s Bliss.” The song builds until a soaring organ note which plays alongside McTaggart’s vocals. It is a great moment on the album. 

The album ends with “Stars Ain’t Colliding,” a song that refuses a satisfying, melodic conclusion. The album is committed to its thematic material, committed to feelings of unease and anxiety, but it delivers these themes with incredible beauty. On this final track, McTaggart allowing plenty of still space between each line she sings, which creates a feeling of unease. Its a brooding ending to a brooding, lovely batch of songs. 

I’d recommend this album to both fans of baroque pop, instrumental music, and singer-songwriter music. The tracks “Cinders,” “Cuckoo,” “Share of Dreams,” and “Devestations Bliss” are the album’s highlights, containing great vocal performances from McTaggart and beautiful instrumentation. This album combines all of these elements in a very satisfying way.