Charlotte Cornfield - Two Horses (2011)

Canadian singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Cornfield brings an almost startling level of vulnerability to her narrative indie songs. Cornfield's smart storytelling lyricism evolved as she progressed from her self-released 2011 debut Two Horses to the more nuanced, wildly personal, and bracingly optimistic songs of Highs in the Minuses, jointly released in 2021 by Polyvinyl and Double Double Whammy. Working with Bonny Light Horseman's Josh Kaufman, Cornfield's fifth album, Could Have Done Anything, arrived in 2023 bearing an engaging mix of immediacy and detailed arrangements.
Charlotte Cornfield was born in Toronto and grew up playing piano, drums, and French horn. She later studied jazz drumming in Montreal. Though Cornfield was writing songs as early as sixth grade, her first solo release came in 2008 with self-released EP It's Like That Here. She followed in 2009 with another EP, Collage Light, and in 2011 she self-released her debut full-length Two Horses. She played many of the instruments on the album and it notched her sound a little bit more toward upbeat, affable rock than the sometimes folksy and acoustic fare of the EPs. In 2016, her second effort, Future Snowbird, was released on Consonant Records. The album was recorded live in the studio, and featured contributions from members of Ought and Tegan and Sara member Johnny Spence. 2019's The Shape of Your Name was Cornfield's most visible work until that point, garnering positive press and being longlisted for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize. Cornfield signed on with Polyvinyl Records, which jointly released her 2021 album Highs in the Minuses on Double Double Whammy. The album was recorded in the Montreal studio of Arcade Fire producer Howard Bilerman, and featured guest contributions from Ada Lea, Suuns drummer Liam O'Neill, and Stars vocalist Amy Millan. While her next album was equally collaborative, it was made in a more intimate manner. Getting out of her comfort zone, Cornfield headed to upstate New York to work with producer Josh Kaufman (Bonny Light Horseman), whom she had never even met. Playing all of the instruments themselves, the two musicians knocked out an entire album in six days, reveling in a mix of spontaneity and intuitive craft. Could Have Done Anything was released in May 2023.