Filed under: album, mp3, review, video | Tags: 2009, anna claxton, fiona apple, maja ivarsson, music, the sounds
The Sounds
Crossing The Rubicon •••½
Original Signal / Universal
As any Fiona Apple fan should know, to “cross the Rubicon” (a river in northern Italy) is to pass the point of no return. Does this then mean that The Sounds consider that they can’t get any better than their third album of the same name? Or are the Swedish five-piece making a reference to the phrase’s original association with Caesar, who made a confirmed act of war through his movement across this 29 kilometre long stretch of water more than 2000 years ago? Perhaps a subtle political statement, but probably more likely a declaration of their intent to launch their own new assault on the music-buying public. In a good way, of course.
Filed under: EP, album, review | Tags: 2009, alisha mann, anna claxton, charlotte richardson andrews, claire robinson, kissing cousins, liechtenstein, music
Kissing Cousins
Pillar Of Salt •••½
Velvet Blue Music
Tantalizingly self-described as “all female sepulchral counter-pop”, the Kissing Cousins quintet took their name as a sarcastic nod to preconceived notions about the Deep South, with lead singer Heather Heywood’s very unusual childhood informing their music. Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama with her charismatic Pentecostal preacher father leading a largely poor, black congregation meant an education in “soulful and woeful music”, not to mention the trauma of regular exorcisms, these unusual experiences left Heywood with a “wounded spirituality” and a certain amount of disillusionment that she funnels passionately into Kissing Cousins.
Client
Command ••
Loser Friendly
With female-fronted electro-pop currently doing rather well in fashionable circles, fortune might have favoured this latest release from London-based duo Client (aka ex-Frazier Chorus member Kate Holmes, wife of Creation Records founder Alan McGee, and Sarah Blackwood, formerly of Dubstar). Perhaps best known for their connections to the likes of Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore and ex-Libertines Carl Barat and Pete Doherty (all of whom failed to prop up Client’s lacklustre second album City) than for their overall output, the band continue to defy naysaying critics by sustaining a core fanbase with a constant stream of releases and club remixes. Not to mention their ability to work an air hostess/prison guard uniform with style, which has made them rather popular in Germany. With 2007’s Heartland finally shedding some warmth on their icy cool remove, Command moves back into the shade with a set of songs billed as “strictly dirty”.
Filed under: album, review, video | Tags: 2009, anna claxton, bif naked, music
Bif Naked
The Promise •••½
The Promise Music Group
The term ‘Bif’ is apparently used to describe a pathological liar. With regards to Miss Naked (real name Beth Torbert), this couldn’t be farther from the truth. As her adopted name may suggest, she is the songwriting champion of all that is largely stripped bare, much as her gutsy rock and roll would have us believe otherwise. Born to teenage parents in India in the early ’70s and subsequently adopted by American missionaries, she later wound up in Canada, most notably making a name for herself as a model-turned-actress and poet before reinventing herself as a vibrant performer and self-styled songstress. And it is the medium of music that she has particularly used to express her a batch of personal experiences as diverse as her talents, including a recent battle with breast cancer, during which she recorded The Promise, her fifth studio album.
Filed under: album, review | Tags: 2009, anna claxton, bitter:sweet, kiran shahani, music, shana halligan
Bitter:Sweet
Drama ••••
Quango
Hailing from the city of Angels, Bitter:Sweet operate almost exclusively on a retro tip. Their second album Drama escorts us through a world where the woman is most definitely on top, unafraid of anything (except perhaps herself) and equipped with many faces with which to manipulate a lesser mortal to her benefit. An aptly named collection, these loungey songs could well be the soundtrack to a suspense thriller or femme-fatale action movie, an ambitious jaunt through the dangerous side of living.
Filed under: album, review, video | Tags: 2009, anna claxton, music, priscilla ahn
Priscilla Ahn
A Good Day •••½
EMI
Priscilla Ahn makes incredibly pretty music. Simply no other word will suffice. Hailing from smalltown America, she creates in her songs a feeling of beautiful escapism that can only come from imagining a life beyond the dreariness of daily routine and ignorant bystanders. Her debut full-length album A Good Day was originally released in the US last summer and finally hit these shores earlier this month off the back of a recent UK tour with Ray Lamontagne. A charming live performer, Ahn has a funny anecdote for everything and a stunning voice that brings out the best in her unpretentious folksy songwriting, and thankfully little is lost in translocation to plastic.
Nikka Costa
Pebble To A Pearl •••
Stax / Go Funk Yourself
Nikka Costa is to soul music what cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks is to any civilised social gathering. Proving that the old ones are the best, Miss Costa embraces her influences of timeless artists – some going back to the ’60s, others to the ’90s – in generating an energy only delivered by someone that truly loves what they are doing. Free from the restrictive force of her former label Virgin, Costa set about creating her own imprint with the telling title Go Funk Yourself Records and, in a true display of self-motivation, Pebble To A Pearl was created in what was essentially three weeks of live recordings, retaining the charm of original soul music, warts and all.
Filed under: album, review, video | Tags: 2009, anna claxton, jonna lee, music
Jonna Lee
This Is Jonna Lee •••½
Razzia / Family Tree
Listening to This Is Jonna Lee is probably as close to Jonna Lee as one can comfortably get, delving under her skin, into her brain and walking around her native Stockholm conjuring up this strange bunch of songs. Adult themes are seemingly relayed through the eyes of a child possessed, challenging the listener’s grasp of perspective, and what would ordinarily be occasions for slow and sombre reflection – generally covering the painful topics of loneliness, heartbreak and death – are portrayed in a way that fools the part of the brain that focuses on colour and light into believing that life is not as cruel as it seems.
Filed under: album, review, video | Tags: 2009, ana egge, anna claxton, music
Ana Egge
Road To My Love ••••
Grace / Parkinsong
Seemingly a wild and restless traveller, statuesque blonde Ana Egge not only looks fearless but often sounds fearless, an interesting paradox of a young, adventurous songwriter combined with a woman who performs with a maturity beyond her 30-something years. Her appealingly rich vocal and intimate lyrical craft is somewhat akin to Joan Armatrading, or, as astutely suggested by Lucinda Williams, what Nina Simone might have sounded like if she had been handed a steel guitar. Road To My Love is her sixth album in a career spanning an incredible 17 years, and offers a more personal glimpse into the life of someone who confesses to having been more guarded in the past.
Filed under: album, review, video | Tags: 2009, anna claxton, danielle ate the sandwich, music
Danielle Ate The Sandwich
Things People Do ••••
Self-released
It’s an obvious thing to question but, as Danielle herself freely admits to having eaten the sandwich, what kind of sandwich was it? Her second album, Things People Do, is recommended for the discerning cheddar lover, as opposed to anything a tad more pretentious on offer. Sometimes there is just no substitute for what works already, a stable foundation not necessarily to improve upon but certainly to build upon. Here the analogy relates to Danielle Anderson’s strong songwriting skills and clear musical potential. While not offering much in the way of dazzling originality, the album’s quality remains consistent, the cheeky sound of a ukelele often providing a carefree ambience in contrast to what would otherwise be a wistful and sobering lamentation to life’s sad experiences.
