There's a word for alone time that everyone seeks every time they take an avenue to complete work and reflect. It's a "necessity," and until you truly accept the fact you need that "alone time" every so often in order to reflect and direct your destiny in life, you will not truly appreciate the time and effort that every creative person (musicians, in particular) do to begin or finish a project. It's often isolating and can distance the artist from the outside world, but it sometimes can result in a very refreshing and calm state for the person.

To begin with, "loom" is a foreboding word. It's a verb, implying coming into sight dimly or to be ominously close or above. But Loom is also the stage name of Toronto's Brooke Manning, a solo artist who drafted her album Epyllion by spending three days on Toronto Island. She has also been known to work similarly to Sarah Slean (Slean reportedly spent months alone at her cottage to song write). Manning spent days alone, holed up in her room, creating and spilling her heart onto paper.

The time served Manning well. She shaped this album with a lot of diligence and soulful songwriting. There's no pretentiousness or the sugary glistening of what could be a poppy album, and it's not overproduced. It's heavy but also light, and a diversion from anything that you may be prepared to hear.

On the other hand, skilful and heartfelt song writing aside, the music is almost too quiet. There is an extreme minimalism with this type of sound: the instruments vary slightly, but it's Manning's quiet voice that stays pure and sweet.

In the fourth song, "Wholesome," Manning shows her ingenuity with her words: "You can use my body and have my mind/but I can't lend them at the same time/without the mercy of your open eyes/I can lend my body, but not my mind." This particular song is quite good. The guitar playing is distorted and fuzzy and has a quality to it that perhaps was influenced by straight-edge punk rock. It has a heavier sound than the rest of the songs.

If you take the time to read her liner notes, you'll be impressed. Manning doesn't sing about happiness or airy subjects. There's a streak of darkness in the sixth song, "Is It Love?"

Manning also has, reportedly, the power to draw a crowd. Numerous critics have acknowledged her capacity to pull an audience in when she performs.

Let's hope Manning continues to hone her craft and not disappear like a fading light. We need to see more artists like Loom get the credit they deserve, stir a crowd with their performance and serve as an example of what music can exemplify. It doesn't always have to be about pomp and circumstance: if this album fits a psychedelic or trance genre, then let it in.

For more information, visit loommusic.ca and myspace.com/owleyescrowsfeet.

Rating: 4 out of 5