Helen Ballentine has released her second album as Skullcrusher, a name that evokes something altogether different than the ghostly, ambient soundscapes she creates on “And Your Song is Like a Circle.” The name refers more to the emotional rumination.
Inspired by a move from Los Angeles to upstate New York and an extended period of solitude, the album’s lyrical minimalism and the gauzy instrumentation quietly unfurl a set of songs dealing with dissociation, blurred identity and grief.
A theme of the album is how ideas appear in our minds only to disappear leaving faint traces behind. She experiments with different ways to record her vocals so that they sound otherworldly above the atmospheric synthesizers, operatic piano and moody electronica.
"And Your Song is Like a Circle" is full of other contradictions besides the name Skullcrusher. It is sparsely rich, dark and illuminating, evocative and discordant. As the names suggests, the music will weigh heavy with it’s search for meaning.