Smoke
Fairies – Wild Winter (Full Time Hobby)
LP
/ CD / DL
Out
Now
8
/ 10
Dream pop duo re-release their Xmas
collection.
Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies were asked
in 2014 to make an Xmas album, and so they did.
Not any old Xmas album though, no trite cover versions and boring duets,
Smoke Fairies have not only encompassed the joy and happiness of the season but
have also brought in the cold and misery and alienation.
Originally released on Rough Trade last year,
the ten tracks contained are all of a particularly high standard. Eight original tunes and a couple of covers
(one by Captain Beefheart and one by The Handsome Family), beautifully travel
through the real life of the season.
And, the word ‘beautiful’ isn’t misused, albeit in an unconventional
sense. Vocals are clear and pure,
sometimes Dido like, and the instrumentation is often raw and surely performed
live.
Album opener, Christmas Without A Fire kicks
off things with a passion and shows where the album is going to head. The
mentions of the festive times are subtle, there isn’t a sleigh bell or a chime
to be heard anywhere, in fact nothing could be less Xmassy than their Beefheart
cover of Steal Softly Thru Snow from his classic Trout Mask Replica album. It’s trademark Beefheart, bonkers, loud and
just brilliant.
The pounding bassline of 3 Kings too dispels
any predictability and the high-powered song brings about more Xmas cheer than
a bottle of Uncle Bob’s homemade wine.
To describe the Smoke Fairies sound isn’t
easy. Take sprinklings of folk and blend
them with bursts of American blues and you’ll get the idea. They’ve supported Richard Hawley, Bryan Ferry
and Laura Marling, and have worked with the likes of Jack White and Head making
a pretty impressive CV.
One of the many album highlights comes in the
shape of Bad Good, a pulsating bass with free guitars and double vocalisation
it combines both melodic verses with catchy instrumentation and a small hint of
70s/80s New Wave. Marvellous stuff and
something you’d love to hear in any Xmas radio playlist.
With the title track comes a quite lovely piece
of rising sound and exquisite harmonisation before a surprise instrumental in
the form of Snow Globe Blizzard which does its best to steal the show.
Links
Full Time Hobby
Smoke Fairies website
Smoke Fairies on Twitter
Smoke Fairies on Facebook
Published on Louder Than War 9/12/15 - here
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