Intro – Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011-2016 (Commentary)

Like most seemingly overnight successes, Maggie Rogers put years of work into developing her music. Unlike some artists, she embraces her earliest output, and on Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011 -- 2016, she traces her artistic evolution from her college days to the year of her breakout hit "Alaska." Released on her own Debay imprint, the collection gathers remastered tracks from her two independently released albums, 2012's The Echo and 2014's Blood Ballet, as well as several previously unreleased tracks. Many of these are from her time with the band the Del Water Gap, and fans might be surprised at how different they sound from "Alaska" and Heard It in a Past Life. On "Celadon & Gold," her voice is charismatic as ever, but the hard-hitting rhythm section and guitars evoke Eisley and other indie rock acts with heart-on-sleeve female vocalists who hold their own against the din of their bandmates. While barbed-yet-dreamy songs such as "One More Afternoon" and "Together" are strong, they sound a little cluttered compared to the compilation's later tracks. The pretty, guileless indie folk of The Echo shows Rogers quickly learned to emphasize her voice and lyrics, whether on the wise-beyond-its-years "Kids Like Us" or "Satellite," a seven-minute ballad that barely feels big enough to contain all of her emotions. Her music becomes even more focused on the songs from Blood Ballet, which make up the majority of Notes from the Archive. Her big-hearted songwriting shines on "Anybody," and the clarity of the title track's imagery ("I would build a city out of you and me") matches the growing presence of her vocals. The Blood Ballet tracks also foreshadow the adventurous direction Rogers took a little while later. With its ringing banjos and huge drums, "Resonant Body" lives up to its name and sets her voice like a jewel; "James," which finds her bidding a country boy goodbye as she heads for the big city, hints at how seamlessly she would blend rootsy and polished elements on her viral hit. A comprehensive, satisfying primer, Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011 -- 2016 reflects just how quickly her skill and inspiration grew over a handful of years.
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