Hidden Systems

Bright Archer is Johanna Kunin, who composes, sings, and plays piano. RIYL female light rock / pop. More indie than Tori Amos, Sarah McL, Regina Spektor, et al, but definitely that same idea. This deserves some airtime. Not a super strong singer, but quite pleasing. The songs, piano, and arrangements make the record. She’s backed by various musicians on each track: three different drummers, 2 bassists, some horns, woodwinds & strings, vibes.

No FCC issues.

1. Mid tempo. Breathy vocal with steady piano arpeggios, stirring strings, bells. (2:38)
2. * Slow & gentle. A bit airy. She sings two tracks to nice effect. (3:02)
3. * A bit peppier. Could be a Carol King song. Trumpet is a nice touch. (2:38)
4. ** Mid-tempo. Lush arrangement has strings, flute, French horn. Quite nice. (2:57)
5. * Mid-tempo. Joni Mitchell-like vocal. Fades out very soft. (4:31)
6. Mid-tempo again, but with some drive from the drums. A bit sad. Lots of strings. (4:16)
7. * Slow, pretty. Deceptively simple, like a children’s song. Subtle guitar & winds. (3:06)
8. ** Faster, with a jazzy bounce. Horns give it an upbeat feel. Sudden stop. (2:40)
9. ** Mid-tempo. A pretty gem of a pop song. Lush strings. One of her better singing performances. Final third is an orchestral fade with background noises. (4:33)
10. Metronome piano. Sort of a downer. (2:45)
11. Up-tempo and upbeat. Kinda cutesy. Not bad, but not as good as some others. (3:54)