By Alicia Williams (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: April 4, 2012
Bonfire Madigan is a Riot Grrrl, folk/baroque, avant-garde artist currently residing in California. She has been playing cello since she was nine and has been in bands since she was 15. In an interview I did with her for my show GRLGRMS on CIVL Radio, she told me she played after a hardcore band once and some of the guys there, who were previously slam dancing, started crying as she played. Madigan’s music is intensely emotional, poetic and full of angst toward social injustice and inequality.
Starting off moody, with “Mad Skywriting,” Bonfire Madigan’s album Saddle the Bridge has depth beyond the words of any music review. Having started playing cello at a very young age, Madigan shows throughout this album her mastery of the instrument.
Skipping forward two tracks, you find the gentle but passionate song “Running.” You feel every note and lyric pierce your being on this track, definitely one of the slowest but most powerful songs on the album. Madigan cello artistry has been honed to the point where she can play and sing at the same, something not many players can do.
Looking to the almost-middle of the 13-song album, track five “Awake” is one that will stay with you. The whole song is a build-up to a giant, climactic finish. On this track Madigan has a blues-style way of singing which combined with the stop and go on the cello is haunting. The last 50 seconds will blow your mind. This song, above all, is the perfect showcase of Madigan’s cello and vocal skills.
“Rachel’s Song” is simple, shorter, and has a darker Goth feel than the rest of the album. The powerful lyrics “I don’t mind, that I’m not feeling so fine” sung like a chant forces you to ignore everything else happening around you. This is followed by a song with the same title, “Rachel’s Song [Locational Variations On],” an instrumental song showcasing Madigan’s beautifully virtuosic ability on the cello.
Meanwhile, “7 Mile Lane” is kind of jumpy and erratic, but still you hear the raw emotion in Madigan’s voice. This track features my favourite lyrics out of every song on the album. A part that always catches me is “we came to speak in tongues, but we only know teeth and gums.” And that is just one example of the wordsmithery featured in this brilliant song.
The very last song on the album, “Downtrodden Up,” closes the album slowly and intensely. You can almost feel the movement in her voice when she says “push.” This song is the perfect end to the album. It encapsulates everything from the 13 tracks. It’s moody, angsty and with a plea for social change.
The whole album is great, but if you only hear three songs, make them “Awake,” “7 Mile Lane” and “Downtrodden Up.”
