Black Belt Eagle Scout

The Land, The Water, The Sky – Saddle Creek

Portland based Katherine Paul, who has been producing music as Black Belt Eagle Scout since 2014, presents a powerfully personal record as she travels to her indigenous ancestral land near Puget Sound, the site of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. The album plays out like a story, with Paul hitting on themes of brutal colonialism, nature as solace, and the beauty of life when experienced through hikes over land and jaunts on the water. There are hints of slowcore and a Mazzy Star vibe in the music. You also hear dream pop, as the atmospheric esthetic is spread throughout the music as it illustrates the natural scenes depicted.

The first track, “My Blood Runs Through This Land,” is a shoegazey guitar led tune, that captures the emotional connection to her home. “Understanding,” track 10, starts slow and echoey, but builds up the guitar force towards the end. Syrupy vocals over gritty guitars are the scene on track 12, “Don’t Give Up.” The mixture of lo-fi fuzz mixed with her ethereal vocals makes this a must play for fans of shoegaze and DIY rock. The music is honest, from the heart, and sometimes heart-wrenching. Obviously this album comes from a place of self-therapy and the journey to know one’s self by looking at one’s roots.

My favorites are 6, 1, 4, 12, 2, and 10. Plenty of great tracks to choose from.

– (h)earwitness