Opening with the stately ‘Acre of Shells,’ this album sets its stall out from the very off, with crystal clear production illuminating each instrument and elevating the Patsy Cline like vocals to front and centre. This is even evident in the scuzzy, garage rock style second track ‘Bang, Bang’, a shouty, rocky nonsense that leavens the staid pill of track one. This is echoed by the similarly upbeat ‘Paul’ but otherwise this album is more about reflections in a traditional folky/ country style.
‘Poland’ is a beautiful delicate unwinding narrative supported by hushed tom toms and lush orchestration. ‘Brittania Mine’ with its historic lyric from a miners strike in the 60s is given a powerful working – all ghostly skirling strings and reverbed voice and dischordant melodies. A great imagining.
This is an album chock full of great tunes and performances that is not going to reinvent any genres, but that’s no bad thing when the genres concerned are being fed and nourished with such delights. Well worth investigating when she reaches these shores in October.
Summary
Canadiana – winsome folk country through a modern prism
