Every week, 88Nine brings you a fresh track from a Milwaukee artist. They send it to us. We post it here. You hear it before everyone else.
For today's premiere, we've got a senses-altering slab of psychedelia from Saint Francis songwriter Kendra Amalie. Stream and read about "Facets of a Holy Diamond" below.
First impressions
"Close your eyes/we can dream," Amalie beacons on the latest track from her upcoming album "Intuition." "Facets of a Holy Diamond" plays like a seance, underscoring the ferocity of Amelie's oaken voice with turbulent guitars. It's a heady track, and even soothing cellos do little to cut the tension as Amalie sings as if transmitting between worlds.
In the artist's words
My songwriting process is often a slow and careful labor of planning, writing, and refining but "Facets of a Holy Diamond" came in one lucky and inspired blast. I woke up in the middle of the night and wrote the whole thing, recorded a demo on my 4-track phone app, and went back to bed before sunrise. It was the kind of writing experience I'd always felt entitled to. It was a transmission straight from my subconscious mind or possibly a report from my astral body. During the course of my life I've endured many long periods of fatigue and depression and have tried to make the most of my time asleep by practicing lucid dreaming and astral projection techniques. This song comes from that world, a place I feel honored to explore in a waking state. I'll play it live every time.