Perseids 

By Jenina MacGillivray

Reviewed by Pamela MacKenzie

Perseids is Jenina MacGillivray’s second full-length album, following her acclaimed 2018 release Marion. Continuing in the evocative and personal songwriting style that characterized Marion, this album maintains a timeless quality in both its composition and in MacGillivray’s sonorous vocal stylings. 

Despite having a distinctive and unique sound that ties the 12 tracks together, Perseids can’t be pinned down to a single genre, playfully incorporating diverse influences into an Atlantic folk music setting. “Fireweed Jam,” an upbeat song about long, lazy beach days on PEI, has the feel of a classic early Joni Mitchell tune, while “Bye Bye Baby” incorporates buoyant Spanish guitar and could have been written as a song and dance for Fred Astair in a classic Hollywood musical. Note also the staticky evocation of an AM radio in the opening for the track “Elephant,” or the sweet and distant harmonies haunting the background of “Smaller Airport.”  This easy incorporation of a range of styles and instrumentation is facilitated by the producer, Jake Nicoll, who also worked with MacGillivray on Marion, and has played a significant role in shaping the sound of both records.

One of the most compelling parts of this album is MacGillivray’s sprawling storytelling, which takes us on a journey from the intimately local – a visit to the Sunday flea market at the C.L.B. Armoury – to the star-strung galactic expanse, playing among the constellations in “Mary” and the titular track, “Perseids.” We listen as our narrator shifts from the lonely introversion of leaving her phone on airplane mode, through to airports and airplanes large and small, as she takes us with her to Heathrow, Prague, and beyond. Undeniably autobiographical, the listener catches glimpses of the songwriter’s travels through life as a series of dreamy vignettes, each song capturing an impressionistic portrait of a person or a moment in time. 

There is a deceptive lightness in the music, holding within it a heavy seriousness – as in the track “Mary,” written as a tribute to MacGillivray’s friend and former roommate who lost her battle with cancer. We could all only hope for such a loving and tender elevation into song by our friends, full of both humour and deep respect. This is a singular strength in MacGillivray’s songwriting: she manages to write about the people she loves without being trite or cliché, and the individuals who merit that attention in her world are not only former or current lovers, but also cherished friends and family members. This paints a rich and full picture of a life well lived, and reflects a maturity and self-awareness in the songwriting that is well balanced by its romantic tone and sense of humour.

Jenina’s album manages a unity in its contradictions: both light and heavy; local and universal in scope, nostalgic with an insistent attachment to the now; sung in a voice both strong and tremulous.