The Agonized Soulfulness of Ainsley Farrell’s “Dark Spell” Evokes the Complexity of a Troubled Relationship

ainsley-farrell-cover-2_crop — Ainsley Farrell, photo courtesy the artist

Ainsley Farrell’s “Dark Spell” is overflowing with strong emotions barely reigned in. At times the singer’s normally confident, husky vocals break ever so slightly with the force of feeling as she reaches into her upper registers. But this works to humanize the vocals and renders them more powerful and relatable. Her words paint a portrait of a fractious and maybe dysfunctional love wherein the two people have hurt each other deeply as if under each other’s dark spell. She vividly describes the moments of the initial attraction and the anticipation of the moments of unforgettable connection. Then, enigmatically, “He wants me weak and under your dark spell” and “You know I’d never leave you with a heartache/so break me and tell me what hurts.” It’s as though Farrell is describing the kind of situation where you’re in a relationship with someone who wants to infiltrate every fiber of your being and then tell you what you feel even though you know better. Thematically its reminiscent of the mysterious quality of Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is” in that you know something dark and twisted went down somewhere but whose details elude easy analysis. In that way it’s also akin to the short fiction of Shirley Jackson where the prose is beautiful and powerful but speaks to a pain rooted deep in the psyche. Whatever the song is really about, Farrell’s powerfully expressive voice against a backdrop of textural and minimal music rightfully puts the agonized soulfulness of her singing at the center of the song where it belongs. Listen to “Dark Spell” on Soundcloud and follow the Australian artist by way of California at the links below.