The Abramson Singers

The Abramson Singers - Late Riser
2013 Copperspine Records

Following up her stunning debut album, Vancouver, BC singer Leah Abramson (aka The Abramson Singers) has crafted another intricate puzzlebox of an album, weaving vocal harmonies into a dense shroud that hangs over each song. There's a larger ensemble sound with the new album, and guest artists include Rayna Gellert, Jesse Zubot, and Samantha Parton of the Be Good Tanyas. Used to be that Vancouver, BC was the lightning rod folk scene of the West Coast, bringing us groups like the Tanyas, Zubot and Dawson, The Paperboys, Outlaw Social (Pharis Romero's old band) and The Gruff. I haven't seen as many groups coming out of Vancouver these days as I used to, but from this album it's clear that there's still a great scene in the city. Look also to the album from Abramson's friend, Jenny Ritter, and you can learn more about Vancouver's roots scene.

On Late Riser, the songs whisper and twirl across a cracked wintery landscape. Vocal harmonies tense and resolve, and it's clear that Abramson loves to play with the timbre of the human voice. She arranges voices to hocket back and forth, and pairs a deeper voice with a high, almost falsetto voice. She's a sound poet first and a songwriting poet second. It's a great combination that lifts this album way above the herd of other singer-songwriters. Standout tracks include "Jack of Diamonds," which updates the old folk song trope of the gambling rounder, "Deja Vu," which is a gorgeous bit of songcraft,and "Liftoff Canon," which best shows off Abramson's vocal arrangements. Leah Abramson is one of the most eclectic and visioned artists in West Coast roots music and a name you should know. - No Depression - Devon Leger

ACAPELLA is not a musical term that tends to shift a lot of product.
And yet, such is Vancouver singer-songwriter Leah Abramson's love for old-school vocal clarity, she has boldly placed a voices-only track near the start of both albums released under The Abramson Singers banner.

Not that Late Riser or the band's self-titled debut are rootsy by the rulebook: rather they take what could be called Americana (if that's allowable in Canada), and filter it through the nirvana of 1960s girl groups and 1970s singer-songwriters, before bringing it up to date with shadings of indie-rock.

From the vocal loops that fit over the male-voice pulse of Liftoff Canon to the 20-strong choir on Red River Valley, Late Riser puts the human instrument to the fore, but also raises the song arrangements just a notch higher than on the band's 2010 release.

Abramson's writing continues to grow too: Jack Of Diamonds and Lose-Lose showcase the post-Joni pop songstress she could so easily be, should she ever decide to go all the way down that road. Instead, she prefers to keep her stylistic options open, with one foot in folk music, the other in indie, but neither in what we think of as indie-folk over here.
- Alan Morrison, Scotland Herald

September 2013, By David Innes
Review of Late Riser by The Abramson Singers
[FOUR STARS]

Leah Abramson’s previous outing with her assembly of friends and fellow travellers led to the release of a widely lauded, self-titled 2010 album. If The Abramson Singers was an appetizing taster, Late Riser is a wholesome, varied and satisfying repast, mature and tuneful, replete with memorable melodies, precision-tuned harmony and outstanding songs.

The variety of output is impressive. Although Leah and her co-conspirators are steeped in Americana and its numerous tributaries, Late Riser displays a remarkable grasp of pop hooks. ‘Jack Of Diamonds’ is a mainstream radio playlist material, driven by insistent pedal bass, baritone guitar and inventive keyboard washes, not to mention the ever-present vocal harmony inserts. ‘Lose-Lose’ is, quite simply, among the most memorable tuneful and country-tinged pop offerings I’ve heard this year.

Also special are ‘Marguerite,’ lazily languid rhythmically but with a soaring chorus and a church-like solo vocal refrain, whilst ‘Deja vu’ is soulful, with delicious, understated country-soul guitar, Hammond and harmony vocal prompts. ‘Red River Valley’ concludes the set, but it’s not the cowboy song. It’s a wistful yet low-key, energetic homecoming ballad building to a twenty-strong choral climax, a fitting end to a flawless release.
- R2 Magazine, UK

Americana UK 9/10

Are you constantly looking for space on your ipod, what can I bump to put the latest flavour of the month on, “what’s got to go” you mumble as you force on the new best band ever. How anybody ever goes on Desert Island discs and picks 8 nuggets I’ll never know. This album is one of those, 'has to be on the pod' albums. I doubt it’ll ever come off, it’s made me late for work as I just need to hear the end, it’s made me miss my deadlines for copy submissions (sorry Mark) as I just haven’t wanted to listen to anything else, I just love it.

Its North American as opposed to ‘Americana’; don’t let that put you off, it’s certainly not heavy on the country influence, again stay with me on this one. From its plinky music box opening to the lacy vocal interplay, choral, even dawn chorus like ‘Liftoff Cannon’ it is a stunning record, honestly. Step outside your normal, like a great man once said “that music has lost its taste so try another flavour”, this is exactly that.

It’s a root beer record, neither a bottle of beer nor a bottle of roots, but somehow so right, and just as delicious. It’s folk pop perfection, it has some ‘Rabbit Fur Coat’ Jenny Lewis, or Cardigans, even some ‘Linger’-esque Cranberries at times, such as ‘Jack of Diamonds’ only in a way that a glass not properly washed might taste of the last person’s drink.

The quirky musicality is not distracting, it is clever, live affirming, and the sexy, breathy, occasionally French sung ‘Margueritte’ is just the right side of odd. An art-house feel, without pretentions, an intelligent thoughtful record from some of Dan Mangans band. It revels in being continentally American without being Americana. Leah Abramson is painfully pretty voiced, ‘Fight or Flight’ with its “oh short tether” has pain in every sinew, reinforcing that this is a musical art, constructed to flow and it is far from just a collection of songs. Whirly wobbly organ of ‘Drowning Man’ is her Catlin Rose, and is her momentary brush with country. “Tell her if you want to – I’ll be in be in the bedroom trying on some heels” is a sharp awakening; 2 tracks later on ‘Lose-Lose’, a reminder to don’t be fooled by the tweety vocal, she can break hearts too, and to a Ronnettes drum beat, it’s a harsh stab on relationship duplicity.

‘Skull & Crossbones’ is no sea shanty, but is probably my album favourite, at least in this second; a wonderful canter with Leah what could be better, devoid of “Jim-lads” and phoney Cornish accents it’s uplifting, perky and a cleansing jaunt of a song. Then the album ends, which always jolts me back to the room, to what I should be doing, but the final morsel ‘Red River Valley’ is another remarkable tune, from a remarkable album. The whole record is astonishing vocally, enriching musically and a very charming record.
- Americana UK

If you happened to miss our article earlier this week about The Abramson Singers, you may have missed that they had a show at The Artful Dodger on Tuesday night. Playing some of the most beautiful and well put together music I have heard since the first City & Colour album, The Abramson Singers had me completely drawn in the entire set.

I knew going to the show that I could expect a wonderful evening of folk music, but I didn't expect how actually wonderful and amazing it was. I'm already running out of big adjectives to use to describe how good The Abramson Singers were. They beauty of live shows is you get that little bit of flare and excitement that only comes from music being created right in front of you. From small things like noticing that even though Leah Abramson, the lead singer, was sick with the flu, she is still one of the best vocalists I have met, and she was sick. The harmonies between the two vocalists are as impressive as they are perfectly orchestrated and beautiful. I don't think they missed a single note. There was also the amazing organ, grand piano solo/rock out that was flooring. These are not things you get to notice while listening to a studio album. It makes you appreciate everything a little bit more.
I used the City & Colour comparison earlier for a reason as well. I fully expect to see The Abramson Singers selling out large theatres in the coming years. They already have everything the need to be successful, and now they just need the recognition.

So there I sat, with a cup of coffee and my camera, and listened, really listened. When the last song came I was sad. This is a band I may not see for a while, as they have big plans in the coming year. However, I can be glad to know that I was there, at the beginning.

--Jared Schlechte
- RageRegina.ca

Liftoff Canon is certainly one of the most intriguing singles of the year. Working nothing but vocal loops of a chorus and her own multi-tracked takes, Leah Abramson sounds like an Appalachian angel. It sets the tone for the rest of this utterly engaging album which ranges from Sarah Harmer-esque rootsy testimonials to the nearly experimental folk of the fragile Fight or Flight or one of the best haunted country rock songs of the year: Lose-Lose.

-- Stuart Derdeyn
- The Province, Vancouver

Liftoff Canon is certainly one of the most intriguing singles of the year. Working nothing but vocal loops of a chorus and her own multi-tracked takes, Leah Abramson sounds like an Appalachian angel. It sets the tone for the rest of this utterly engaging album which ranges from Sarah Harmer-esque rootsy testimonials to the nearly experimental folk of the fragile Fight or Flight or one of the best haunted country rock songs of the year: Lose-Lose.

-- Stuart Derdeyn
- The Province, Vancouver

Vancouver’s the Abramson Singers are a throwback to a different time, like a tucked-away pocket of the late '60s or '70s at the height of the singer-songwriter popularity. But that’s not to say the band sounds dated. In these days of AutoTune, the freshness of their harmonies is a welcome slap in the face. It’s there in the title: this is a band that values vocals and the sound and textures of those vocals above everything else. “Jack of Diamonds,” from the band’s upcoming second record, Late Riser, showcases Leah Abramson’s voice at its best, refined but strong, with lyrics that have a pervasive ache and honesty that recalls classic Joni Mitchell.

-- Andrea Warner - CBC.ca

Vancouver’s the Abramson Singers are a throwback to a different time, like a tucked-away pocket of the late '60s or '70s at the height of the singer-songwriter popularity. But that’s not to say the band sounds dated. In these days of AutoTune, the freshness of their harmonies is a welcome slap in the face. It’s there in the title: this is a band that values vocals and the sound and textures of those vocals above everything else. “Jack of Diamonds,” from the band’s upcoming second record, Late Riser, showcases Leah Abramson’s voice at its best, refined but strong, with lyrics that have a pervasive ache and honesty that recalls classic Joni Mitchell.

-- Andrea Warner - CBC.ca

Leah Abramson’s voice sails in on a gentle wind. It’s melancholy but bright, sad but sweet, and so distinct that every new release feels cozily familiar. The Vancouver singer/songwriter isn’t afraid to go full-on choral, layering harmonies and counterpoint to blissful levels while the music behind her stays sparse. The astonishingly inventive Take A Camera on her first album exemplifies this.

On her second record – partly conceived during an indie band residency at the Banff Centre – a cappella Liftoff Canon and moody Marguerite come closest to that level of vocal playfulness. (Meanwhile, the closer, Red River Valley, has a 20-plus-person choir.) Voices, often Abramson’s own, stack atop one another, though singing assistance comes via various band members and friends, including Be Good Tanyas’ Samantha Parton.

Also on offer: top-notch folk-pop songwriting, lonesome narratives (like the perfectly gutting Drowning Man) and a gently swinging mood enhanced by distant mellotron, viola, violin and horns.

Top track: Drowning Man

-- Carla Gillis
- Now Magazine, Toronto

Leah Abramson’s voice sails in on a gentle wind. It’s melancholy but bright, sad but sweet, and so distinct that every new release feels cozily familiar. The Vancouver singer/songwriter isn’t afraid to go full-on choral, layering harmonies and counterpoint to blissful levels while the music behind her stays sparse. The astonishingly inventive Take A Camera on her first album exemplifies this.

On her second record – partly conceived during an indie band residency at the Banff Centre – a cappella Liftoff Canon and moody Marguerite come closest to that level of vocal playfulness. (Meanwhile, the closer, Red River Valley, has a 20-plus-person choir.) Voices, often Abramson’s own, stack atop one another, though singing assistance comes via various band members and friends, including Be Good Tanyas’ Samantha Parton.

Also on offer: top-notch folk-pop songwriting, lonesome narratives (like the perfectly gutting Drowning Man) and a gently swinging mood enhanced by distant mellotron, viola, violin and horns.

Top track: Drowning Man

-- Carla Gillis
- Now Magazine, Toronto

Maverick Review by Arthur Wood
Four stars ****

Ethereal, melancholic, uplifting and addictive, that’s The Abramson Singers and then some.

Let me clarify from the outset that the Abramson Singers are a figment of Canadian Leah Abramson’s multi-tracked voice and recording studio imagination. Struck down with tendonitis a few years ago and unable to play guitar (for a time), necessity being the mother of invention and inspired by the choral music she performed as a youngster, Vancouver-native Abramson set about composing new material by recording her voice. On this eleven-song collection of Abramson-penned originals and covers, that voice is multi-tracked between two and eight times.
This download-only release clocks in at the rather short running time of thirty minutes. Five songs possess a duration of less than two minutes each, two (of those) barely exceeding seventy seconds—as a result they seem impressionistic , rather than fully-fledged compositions. One of the latter, the engagingly melodic organ-driven Take Some Good Notes, which was arranged by Montag (Montreal-based French-Canadian musician Antoine Bédard), closes the album. The latter lyric repeats many of the words of album opener Take A Camera. Doubtless that’s an intentional comment: ‘We end where we began.’ That said, if merged with additional verses that pairing possesses the potential to become a truly ambitious composition.
None of the foregoing comments should detract from the fact that this album sounds quite heavenly and bears regular and repeated listening, if only, like some secret and guilty passion, to aurally bathe in the delight that is Abramson’s languid and relaxing melodies. I’ll openly admit Leah’s singing voice is kind of addictive. OK, it’s darned addictive. The aforementioned Take A Camera is performed a cappella. The haunting guitar sound that weaves its way through Fool’s Gold immediately brought to mind Today on Jefferson Airplane’s almost half-century old SURREALISTIC PILLOW. In fact, track-by-track, Abramson places prominently in the mix one instrument or sound effect thereby creating an atmospheric backdrop. On the melodically and lyrically cyclical (almost traditional sounding murder ballad) By The River she employs the natural sound of bird song, a chord organ is used to similar traditional effect on Nemesis, while an accordion supports Truckers’ Prayer.
I mentioned earlier that this collection features cover material. Supported by an Abramson melody, with prominent contributions on ukulele and trumpet, Un Jeune Malade (it translates as A Young Patient) is taken from the writings of patriot Louis Riel. Executed for high treason, Riel (1844-1885) was a Canadian politician, founder of the province of Manitoba, leader of the Métis people and instigator of two rebellions against the Canadian government. Replete with male choir support the soulful sounding You Don’t Love Me was penned by Bob Wiseman, former alumni and keyboard player for Blue Rodeo, while those familiar with William Butler Yeats’ work will recognize his In The Seven Woods (1903) poem Do Not Love Too Long.
- Maverick Magazine

It was a dark and stormy night. Wintry, too. Somewhere along the Saskatchewan stretch of the TransCanada four or five years ago, Singer-songwriter Leah Abramson was headed home in her car after a cross-Canada musical tour.

"The weather was really dicey, and suddenly, out of nowhere, there was this horrible accident involving a truck. It was quite sad and scary,” she told todaystrucking.com.

“Right away, my heart went out to the driver, and I thought about others like him.”

So, Abramson turned something really bad (the accident) into something really quite sweet. A song.

“That accident made me think of all the truckers out there all the time; and I wanted to send something out to them.”

She penned "Truckers' Prayer."

Abramson says she was also partly inspired by her grandfather, who was a jack of all trades, including the trucking trade.

“But also, anyone who goes on the roads a lot will notice that there are hundreds of truckers out there and we want them to be safe.”

"I also realize that when I go to the store, whatever stuff I pick up probably got there by truck,” she says. "They’re such an important part of the economy, we take them for granted.”

“I’m so glad we connected,” the Burnaby native said. “I really wanted to send that prayer out to drivers and I didn’t know how we were going to do it.”

Abramson’s ensemble is called the Abramson singers and their distinctive vocal stylings have caught the ear of audiences ranging from Comox, B.C. to Europe. - Highway Star Magazine: The Magazine for Canada's Professional Truckers

"...it would be accurate indeed to describe her music as arresting. Words like original, interesting and innovative also come to mind."

- Penguin Eggs

While listening to the deceptively simple arrangements of Leah Abramson, many names paraded through my mind. Some songs immediately brought to mind a raw Kathleen Edwards or Sarah Harmer, then some were Cat Power and then, more obscurely, some were very similar to Nedelle.

Whenever a lone female with a remarkable voice picks up a guitar, the list of sound-alikes is long and varied but this doesn’t have to be a disservice to the musician. Listening to the gorgeous “(Come to the) Landfill” would be good without any knowledge of the above references, but by being able to compare Abramson’s songs to others, it stands up quite well. With her stripped acoustic backing and haunting echoes accompanying her remarkable voice, the song is definitely a cut above.

The perfectly melancholic tone of “Waterworks” pulls one in just like Cat Power, but Abramson’s clarity of tone puts a different spin on the apparent hopelessness of the circumstances.

Assured and not as derivative as one may think, Bedroom/City has a rough charm that dissipates into subtle beauty with every listen.

- Exclaim Magazine

Leah Abramson and her angelic voice sing most of the parts in this layered beauty.

by Sue Carter Flinn

Though it may sound like The Abramson Singers could pack a room like the Von Trapp kids, really it's only Leah Abramson and her angelic voice singing most of the parts, accompanied by her Vancouver jazz musician friends. Abramson recorded her a cappella vocal pieces in organza-like layers---the harmonies build and then dance away in oh-so pretty ways.

Opener "Take a Camera" is a cheerful observational ode, a sharp contrast to the darker moments in "Fool's Gold," which recalls the quietest moments in Julie Fader's latest, while "Un Jeune Malade" carries the pluck like Christine Fellows. Abramsom plays IDOW Friday night at The Company House.
- The Coast

Leah Abramson may hail from north of the border, but Bedroom/City is beautifully melancholic Americana.

If you were to listen to Bedroom/City free of context, you'd probably develop a few assumptions about Leah Abramson. You might start to guess where she's from (maybe somewhere in the Deep South?), when she performed (maybe she dates back to the Bristol Sessions?), and perhaps even her politics (she's got to be a hellfire and brimstone Protestant/Republican, right?).

All of these assumptions, of course, would be wrong. Abramson is an artist from present-day Vancouver (or, to be precise, Burnaby), and it's probably safe to assume she's not a big fan of Bush (she started Victoria's "Wimmin In Music" concert series, after all), though Bedroom/City doesn't have much in the way of blatant political comments.

She also possesses an incredible voice, however, and it's for that reason you might be forgiven for drawing some of those conclusions. With barely more than her guitar as backing, thanks to that voice Abramson is able to draw you in to her own little universe and envelop you in the characters and settings she creates. Often, the protagonists of her tales are people trapped in relationships -- the narrator of "Emergency Exit Plan", who both contemplates suicide and plots a way out, vowing that "If I skip town in the middle of the night / I won't be back and I won't be found"; the main character in "Gerberas", who is urged to leave in a similar fashion; the refrain of "Waterworks", which is barely more than a "You make it look so easy to cry"; or "Six Months Or A Year", wherein the main character tries to "disappear, move far when she is near / Fuck your blues away, reveal it to her while in tears".

It's this last line that shows what makes Abramson more than just a pretty voice. She's able to use language to great effect, whether it's slyly throwing in a "fuck" here and there (she does the same thing in "Letters To b.") or building up an image of a factory stifling an entire town ("Hallmark Poultry Ltd."). Even when the lyrics shouldn't make sense, there's something about the way Abramson phrases them that makes them transcend that slight problem (see "Alligators", and its "I don't think alligators train very well / Their Pre-Cambrian brains don't follow orders").

In fact, that's the only thing wrong with Bedroom/City. Admittedly, it's not the most upbeat album (though the hidden track following "Emergency Exit Plan" sounds like something Kate Bush might do), but anyone who expects that is missing the point entirely. Leah Abramson is a spectacular singer and great songwriter, and on Bedroom/City she displays those qualities in abundance.

IN A NUTSHELL:
Leah Abramson may hail from north of the border, but Bedroom/City is beautifully melancholic Americana.

- I Heart Music Blog

Latest project a labour of love


Look more carefully at the picture accompanying to this story than I originally did. You may notice that all four women bear more than a passing resemblance to each other.

They're all the same person, Leah Abramson, and the picture is symbolic of the Vancouver singer-songwriter's latest project, The Abramson Singers.

She performs Thursday, Feb. 4 at The Mansion.

The Abramson Singers are just Abramson, sometimes performing as many as eight-part harmonies by overdubbing the parts.

"I've always been in choirs all my life so I love choral singing," she says.

Necessity can be the mother of invention, and in this case the invention came when Abramson was sidelined from playing the guitar for three months because of tendonitis in her wrist. As a result, she started recording songs a cappella and adding vocal parts to them.

"I did some songs sitting by a pond just recording them with my laptop," says Abramson. "There were a few birds singing near me, but by the time I finished overdubbing, it sounded like a whole bunch of them."

It was indeed a labour of love.

"I love backup singing," says Abramson, who has done so for keyboardist Bob Wiseman and others. "My favourite part of doing my first album (Bedroom/ City in 2006) was doing the backup vocals."

The Abramson Singers CD is full of achingly beautiful singing -- some of it more complex than others. One of the simplest but most moving is called Truckers' Prayer in which she fervently wishes truckers, hitchhikers and travellers in general a safe journey.

"I was touring with Bob Wiseman and we met in Winnipeg and drove from there in the middle of the winter," says Abramson. "It was pretty icy and here we were driving in my little Geo Metro with the snow tires passing all these horrible accidents. The song was just my wish to see everyone safe." - GREG BURLIUK, THE WHIG-STANDARD

From "The Crooked Jades" review:

"...if they have one secret weapon it's Leah Abramson. On a consistently startling and addictive album, the two tracks which just manage to pop their heads above the towering rest are her Call It Something Else and Sleep In The River." - fRoots Magazine

Leah Abramson is addicted to harmony. The Vancouver singer/songwriter has written melancholy indie folk songs for years, but her newest project, The Abramson Singers, puts voice front and center.

We're talking six-, seven- and eight-part harmony. And it's gloriously uplifting.

"I got tendonitis in my wrist a few years ago and had to stop playing guitar," explains the self-professed choir nerd. "But I didn't want to stop writing songs, so I started recording with a digital eight-track and doing all the parts with my voice. It morphed into a choir of one."

With her wrist now healed, the current version of the Abramson Singers mixes guitar-based songs with a cappella ones. For her NXNE appearance, she's bringing along a full band, including a few extra singers.

"It's hard to pull of some of the vocal pieces without a choir, and they don't lend themselves to a looping pedal. Right now I'm performing with two other singers and rehearsing with an eight-person vocal ensemble for a bigger show coming up in Vancouver."

Abramson is also a member of Appalachian folk trio Dyad and the Louis Riel Project, a band inspired by Chester Brown's comic-book version of the Louis Riel story. Expect a debut Abramson Singers album this fall.

-- Carla Gillis - Now Magazine, Toronto

THE ABRAMSON SINGERS The Abramson Singers
White Whale WW017

Leah Abramson was the most notable of the various singers with the very wonderful Crooked Jades (see fR307/8), and now this Canadian artist has come up with an equally alluring album of her own, multi-tracking her own harmony vocals with a bunch of fellow Vancouver musicians.

Over the past decade, a very interesting and distinctive ‘school’ of female singing has crept up, mostly with a Canada connection and exemplified by people like the Be Good Tanyas, Jolie Holland, Devon Sproule and apparently referencing back as far as the classic early Kate & Anna McGarrigle albums. I have no idea whether there’s actually any specific cross-influencing taking place, but in these days of ‘if you like that, you’ll like this’ marketing by the cannier online CD sellers, Leah Abramson’s album definitely warrants that kind of nod. Especially recommended to McGarrigle fans in fact.

Take A Camera and By The River are quite dense, attractive harmony vocal pieces, apparently put together during a period when tendonitis prevented her from guitar playing, but the real attention here is on the tracks with a handful of instruments. Mostly mellow, melancholic and beautiful, my favourites include Fools Gold augmented by a little keyboard and Dan Gaucher’s understated, brushed drums; Truckers Prayer with rounded electric guitar and Tyson Naylor's accordeon, and a reprise of her lovely Call It Something Else from the last Jades album.

It’s mainly released as an mp3 download-only album from www.whitewhale.ca – perhaps because it’s quite short, 11 tracks coming in at just under 30 minutes in total. But it’s quality winning outrageously over quantity here and there’s been a limited edition CD version for those who prefer the physical artefact to treasure, as you surely will. Otherwise, burn your own and rail at the stupidity of the digital age destroying true art.
• www.leahabramson.com | Buy from Amazon.co.uk

Ian Anderson - fRoots Magazine (UK)

Train Singers
Abramson Singers strip it down and hit the rails

By Benjamin Boles

Any musician will tell you that Canada is a tough country to tour, especially in winter. There are the huge driving distances, even between small cities, and our extreme weather. It’s no wonder live clubs are so quiet this time of year.

Vancouver indie folk band the Abramson Singers (aka Leah Abramson and friends) are tackling that problem in a novel way.

“We’re going to take the train,” says Abramson, “which is kind of cool. They’ve got this program where you can basically play for your ride.

“We’re going from Vancouver to Halifax in the dead of winter, so this seemed like a way to actually see something along the way. I’m deathly afraid of driving across the country in this weather, but I imagine it’s quite beautiful to see.”

Since they’ll be serenading their fellow travellers in addition to playing shows from here to Halifax, Abramson’s pared down the lineup – which has, at times, reached a dozen – to a more manageable acoustic duo.

Then again, the Abramson Singers’ debut self-titled album (White Whale) is pretty impossible to duplicate live, even under normal circumstances.

A temporary bout of tendonitis that prevented Abramson from playing guitar inspired the project. Instead of taking a break from music, she began recording a cappella, layering her voice into lush choral arrangements. Once her hand recovered, she fleshed out the songs with her band but kept the dense harmonies in focus.

But taking an eight-piece choir on the road isn’t easy, even in warm weather, and her songs don’t lend themselves well to looping effects.

“It can seem a bit gimmicky when you see people playing live with looping pedals,” she says. “You don’t get into the song as much as you get into the fact that someone’s doing something cool with technology.

“If I’m going to reproduce this stuff live, I’d rather do it with real singers.”

- Now Magazine