Corey Kilgannon’s ‘As Above, So Below’ is a Message of Love to Us All

Emerging indie-folk artist, Corey Kilgannon, has made a name for himself with his deep-diving music that explores human emotion and depth in a vulnerable and honest way that few can replicate. Having toured the country performing intimate house shows and opening for big name acts like JOHNNYSWIM and Penny & Sparrow, Kilgannon has been taking notes on the society we live in….. and he’s delivering those notes to us on his newest album As Above, So Below.

As Above, So Below is a letter to listeners reminding them to choose love. Addressing topics ranging from depression, oppression, feminism, LGBTQ, racism, rape, and more, Kilgannon remains brutally honest in his lyrics and maintains a position that humans should open their perspectives to love and understand one another unconditionally. Kilgannon pinpoints the cracks of humanity while raking through social injustices with a fine-toothed comb through his poignantly honest lyrics that are the true focal point of the album. The title track sets the tone as Kilgannon remarks on the tragedy of unnecessarily taking a human life as a result of racial tensions in America. Kilgannon then moves on to one of the lighter songs on the album that is best served as a summary of the album’s message as a whole. “The Oasis” invites listeners to “Come down to the oasis, never be alone” bringing home the reminder that we are never as alone as we may feel.

Kilgannon takes an interesting approach with “Home of the Estranged” and “Anthem”, two songs that are essentially re-creations of American classics “Home on The Range” and “The Star Spangled Banner”, respectively. Crafting a modern take on the two well known songs, Kilgannon brings to light modern nuances of the American culture and a sense of protest, creating a certain tension that is hard to reconcile. “Home of the Estranged” eloquently lays out the theme of the album in a single sentence: “Human life is not a resource to trade, it is not so absurd to hear out the perturbed, we all see the same things different ways.”  Plausibly the most powerful song on the album, “Ashamed” features Kilgannon’s melancholic guitar picking as the backdrop to lyrics of an undeniable pain and depth. “She says baby it happened to me too, what the hell was I supposed to do?… I called out, no one came. The odds were stacked against me one in five women get raped. I wonder what percentage are they made to feel ashamed.”

Overall, As Above, So Below carries a weight that takes multiple listens to truly dissect fully. Listen below and discover your own truths of Kilgannon’s most politically charged album to date.

Connect with Corey Kilgannon:

Website . Spotify . Instagram

Website . Spotify . Instagram