Beth Jean Houghton’s voice dips, swoops and soars across the
album. It’s this wonderful instrument that carries a rare sense of
wonder and whimsy throughout every possible corner of the album. Her
lyrics are a wonderful mix of vivid recollection, slightly psychedelic
metaphors and more straightforward wordplay. This voice unites the album
in its varied sounds and drives the album forward, relentlessly yet
gently.
The album’s sound is mainly folk-influenced pop, with a wide range of
instruments from keyboards, ukuleles, drums, violin, cellos, guitars,
xylophones, trumpets and a backing choir or three. All of these combine
in a wild, beautiful cacophony of sound throughout the album,
occasionally competing with one another but always supporting Beth’s
voice. Whether it’s the marching beat of the drum of the opener “Sweet
Tooth Bird” overlaid with celestial vocal tones or the triumphant choir
rising up with the xylophone tones at the end of “Dodecahedron”, the
inventive sound is crystal clear.
You can never be sure what till be coming next. Within each song
volume, sound and tempo wildly veer from one extreme to the other. And
while this makes most songs a chaotic ride, they never collapse into a
mess. See how the minimalistic start of “Liliput” explodes into a gallop
with the drum’s entry before collapsing back down with the introduction
of a string quartet and finally, led by the now energetic strings, rise
into a faster pace. Each change feels purposeful and natural, while
every segment feels like it is given enough time to develop. It’s these
effortless switches and swift development that makes the album shine
above your average A-B-A structured pop bands.
So embrace the chaotic beauty of this record. And at a lean 35
minutes, it will catch your foot tapping in mid-air when it finishes.
From the soulful build-up and emotional crescendo of “The Barely Skinny
Bone Tree” to the sheer fun of the lilting closer “Carousel”, the album
is simply sublime all the way through. It’s just the shot in the arm
needed for anyone who is beginning to tire of the indie-pop genre.
Review Score: 9.0 out of 10
______________________________________________________________________
Author: Matthew Evans
Source: The [AU]review
Date: August 30, 2012
Original article: HERE
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