Ellie Schmidly “Where To Begin”

“Where To Begin” is eccentric. It’s constructed like a classic Dionne Warwick track as written by the legendary Bacharach and David but is simultaneously punctuated with the kind of melodic twists commonly found in tunes by sonically ambitious 60’s auteur Jimmy Webb …until the chorus that is, which is marked with a crunchy, singular guitar riff and Ellie’s delicate, mournful vocal wafting over the top. Then it turns again and is taken over by a wistful, horn driven, semi-orchestral break. And it runs over 5 minutes. It all adds up to something weirdly beautiful: a pop song on the surface but with something a little off kilter at it’s center. It’s one epic widescreen oddball, and a really handsome thing.