09. Single Review of Prelude (I Did My Best) by Elly Kace

Originally published July 8th, 2024

About Elly

Elly Kace is a new name to popular music. Chances are, most listeners wouldn’t recognize her. In the classical world however, some might have heard of Elyse Anne Kakacek. Internationally renowned, Elyse is a classically-trained opera singer. She has been praised by critics representing Chicago Critic, Operawire, and many more. But we’re not here to talk about Elyse Anne Kakacek. 

It is absolutely necessary that we discuss Elly Kace. That is because Elly Kace has created something that warrants attention. Elly Kace is a baroque pop indie artist. Elly Kace is a person who has found musical interpretation to convey some very real anxieties; like struggling with perfectionism and the audacity of finding self love (not audacious). Elly Kace is transcending popular music.

Prelude (I Did My Best)

“Prelude (I Did My Best)” is the first single to be released from Elly’s forthcoming, self-produced EP, “If I ask Enough, Could You Love Me.” To hear Kace speak about it, she says it “is a composition about recognizing perfectionism from a space of self forgiveness.” (Kakacek, PR, 2024) When I think of the perfectionists I know, they are hard-working and they accomplish a lot. It is apparent that there was hard work put into her music and Prelude is her accomplishment. With artists like Laufey kicking the door wide open and bridging the gap between classical and popular music, this bode’s well for Kace’s promise. Kace, however, brings additional elements to the table. Listening to her voice, it does have the silky smooth delivery, like Laufey. But then she layers vocals on top of one another, sort of in the way Imogen Heapdid with “Speak for Yourself,” in 2005. Musically, she is accompanied by a quartet of classically trained musicians and she accompanies herself on the piano and synth. The marriage of sound; from violin, to guitar, to upright bass, and then to percussion just layered on top of one another offers a complexity that compares to “The Haunted Man,” or this year’s release, “The Dream of Delphi,” by Bat for Lashes. For clarification, they don’t sound like one another. They’re similarly complex. The production value of the music is also something to note because there was a lot that went into that as well. The way that these layered elements are panned, then fade in and out, like an audible tap  on the shoulder. This masterful element brings such balance to the piece, similarly to how Delerium perfected the task with their song “Enchanted,” from 1997’s “Karma.”

I want to point out that I have made a lot of comparisons, yet Kace stands apart from all of them. First, she does things differently from all of them. Her music is completely original. Second, most of the other artists hold maybe one or two of these profound elements to their music. Kace possesses them all. It brings clarity to where she identifies as a perfectionist and it brings question to where exactly she thinks she fell short.

What’s to Come

I don’t want to spill the tea about the rest of the EP but, let’s just say she really expands from here. “If I Ask Enough, Could You Love Me,” offers diversity. There’s diversity in the composition. There’s diversity in performance of the instruments. In one part you may be hearing an arpeggio from the violin that is being played pizzicato, then suddenly the violinist is incorporating full use of the bow with long, legato tones that flow into the listener’s ear like a river. The guitar can be as complex as some of the progressions brought on by The Smile’s “Wall of Eyes,” and there is a time where it sounds like a single note Steel Guitar. The music pulls from every genre; taking what was once good and showing how it can be better. From jazz fusion to what hints at a 60’s country western record, and yet there’s nothing country or western about the song! 

Final Thoughts

Suffice it to say, what Kace has given this listener will take time to unpack and analyze. Within every layer is something new; something previously unheard. It is exciting, it’s unique, and it fosters the possibility that popular music has not yet run it’s course. It’s not derivative. Sure, it may remind us of something but it transcends what came before. It adapts. It evolves. Yes, Elly Kace has brought to life a masterful composition that bodes well for the art as a whole. In a profession that is being threatened by A.I, where even mainstream artists have admitted to using it, whether it be lyrically or melodically, Kace has done something exclusively organic and the sound just fills the room. 

“Prelude (I Did My Best),” has been released. As of July 5th, you’re able to stream it on all platforms, including Spotify and Apple. Each of the other four songs will be released in sequence until the entire work’s release in December. Elly plans to tour the project this summer and will be performing it live at The Cell in New York City. If you have an opportunity to see this brilliant performance, please make sure to attend. You won’t want to miss it.