Taking classic folk sensibilities and bending them with digital manipulation, Montreal-based musician and producer MEGGO (AKA Megan Ennenberg) is an artist interested in place. Take latest single ‘brooklyn pt. 1’, a glimpse of forthcoming EP eavesdropper ;; death stories which layers a myriad of field recordings over a jazz-inflected sound to create a sonic collage of its namesake locale. “I like naming songs after where most of the collected sounds come from,” as Ennenberg explains. “Brooklyn, New York, where this track was born, feels like its own character in the song. ‘pt. 1’ hints there’s more to the journey–a story that unfolds with time.”
Like any story worth your time, ‘brooklyn, pt. 1’ has a lot more going on beneath the surface than you might glean on first listen. Each layer carries its own shade and meaning, accentuated by Ennenberg’s warm and soulful delivery, but there are other dimensions to the track too. Stylistic choices which go beyond tone and structure and into its execution, as though MEGGO is inviting us not only into Brooklyn but also the song itself. A notable error catches the ear near the conclusion. A slip which seems to unintentionally allow the listener into the truth of its creation, though of course is anything but unintentional.
“It’s been a long journey of experimentation, “Ennenberg continues. “At the end, you’ll hear a raw moment of me working through the song in real time–a reminder that the creative process isn’t always polished. It’s exciting to me to release a song that has an obvious mistake in it. I want people to ask themselves ‘Why does hearing someone make a mistake make me uncomfortable?’ MEGGO is about taking risks and being real, and sharing what that looks like.”
Photo by Flavie Lemee, edited by MEGGO