Lady
Lamb – After (BB Island)
CD
/ DL
Out
Now
8.5
/ 10
American Indie folk singer songwriter releases her second album.
This
is how 80s Indie was meant to sound.
That’s not a criticism of the genre, nor one of Aly Spaltro (aka Lady
Lamb) the American performer who has just released a lovely collection of
twelve jangly guitar led ditty’s that are both compelling and sometimes
slightly strange.
Hidden
inside a positively awful album sleeve that will do nothing to attract any
newcomers to the music of Aly are songs of UFOs, plane crashes and existence in
general. The young artist has a voice
that is more than capable of belting out a fierce performance if ever there was
one, and songs to accompany which after a couple of listens become as catchy as
the latest bout of man flu.
Produced
with Nadim Issa, who was also present during her 2013 debut Ripley Pine, everything
has a raw live feel that has been captured brilliantly. Songs rise from guitar only accompaniments to
ferocious cavalcades of sound in very little time at all. Take album opener
Vena Cava which lulls the listener into a false sense before breaking free from
its shackles, or Violet Clementine with its horn section close.
Dear
Arkansas Daughter is a rip-roarer of a track with raw guitars which takes few
prisoners before a delightful calming mid-piece where batteries are recharged
for a further explosion. Sometimes
Spaltro’s words are lost in the mix, which is a shame as they are clearly
heartfelt from the ones that are decipherable, but it some ways that just makes
way for the feel of the album to shine through.
It
is an album that contains passion and power, and one that is jam-packed with
aggression and emotion. Given some
decent exposure there’s no reason why the Lady couldn’t develop a following in
the UK from the same folks that adore the likes of PJ Harvey for instance, as
there are many similarities.
It’s
not all noise for noise’s sake either, there are plenty of well-constructed
songs contained herein. Milk Duds is
probably as commercial as it gets, it’s catchy but not in a throwaway sense and
is one of many highlights.
Ten
takes a breather from the raucousness with a flick through her Mothers diary to
reveal recollections of her loved ones, and Batter sees Spaltro die in a plane
crash. Great stuff.
Links
BB Island website
Lady Lamb website
Lady Lamb on Twitter
Lady Lamb on Facebook
Published on Louder Than War 1/07/15 - here
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