Inuit Folk Singer Willie Thrasher Gets Reissue Treatment (ALBUM REVIEW)

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Leave it to Light in the Attic Records to reconnect us with the mysterious soul that is Willie Thrasher, an Inuit folk singer-songwriter. Their latest reissue is Thrasher’s debut studio LP Spirit Child, released in 1981. According to history, Thrasher evolved as a musician over time, starting from playing in rock bands before fully embracing his Aboriginal roots and becoming a politically minded folk songwriter. Child feels like a marriage between 1960s-inspired folk and mellow psych-rock, bursting with ideas about human rights and rich with history.

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Through spoken word interludes, Thrasher communicates a deep connection to his own context, transporting us to the Northwest Territories that raised him. Thrasher was raised in a traditional Inuit community, and taken from his family at a young age to be placed in the Canadian government’s school system. Thrasher was stripped of his identity and culture, assimilated and white-washed, and it was not until he had taken up as a drummer for  Inuit rock band The Cordells (playing contemporary pop tunes) that he changed direction and rediscovered what had been unjustly taken from him. A true folk troubadour, Thrasher traveled and played music, sharing his love for the Inuit culture and his own struggle for acceptance.

Thrasher incorporates a traditional Inuit sound in his melodies and his message. “Old Man Inuit” finds Thrasher confronting his fears about a dying culture of people and the feeling of defeat. He sings (between native language translations):

“Even now my grandchildren

They too have changed

Even now the seals are nearly gone

My brother the wolf

He don’t howl anymore

The white bear

He too will soon fade

And now my people

Have turned to a different road”

This is one of Child’s most powerful tunes. It exposes the raw sense of uncertainty of the future. You feel some semblance of his pain when you listen to this song and many others on Child. “Silent Inuit” and the title track “Spirit Child” are also deeply affecting, and the latter may have you doing a double take with its clear Neil Young-inspired sound. “Silent Inuit” and “Forefathers” may be the most spiritual tracks on Child, possessing an enchanting, mystical quality that makes you want to follow the through the dense, dreamy forest of sound they create.

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Thrasher’s passion and strong voice come through on lighter songs, too, and his background as a rock musician shows itself on the fabulous and soulful “We Got to Take You Higher”. How this song never became a hit is a mystery, but it’s bound to get heavy rotation now with its groovy guitar licks and Thrasher’s emotionally charged vocals.

“Shingle Point Whale Camp” is Thrasher’s take on his own banal but beloved memories of whale hunting. “Is there any place better than whaling out in the mighty sea?” he sings, cheerfully. And “Eskimo Named Johnny” is a brilliant narrative of the struggle to fit in away from home (set to a particularly lovely harmonica melody) that proves Thrasher’s natural storytelling ability.

Thrasher is an artist who deserves uncovering and Child is an extremely important record that strove to inspire social and political change. Perhaps now, it finally will get the chance.

 

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