It's been 6 years since Alison Moyet's last album, and despite now being in her 50s she's looking younger than ever. She's sounding younger than ever too, with new track Changeling containing hints of a No Doubt-esque rhythm mixed with the darker diversions of fellow 80s survivors Depeche Mode.
Moyet's voice is a lot smoother than usual here, as she adopts a post-Red Shoes Kate Bush purr to tackle the mundanity of commuter traffic in the verses, before whipping out some unexpected high notes in the spellbinding chorus. With a fresher vibe and Guy Sigsworth taking care of production, upcoming 8th set The Minutes promises to be something of a mature soirée - downstairs at Eric's.
This month's revisitation is to Canadian chanteuse Sarah McLachlan's debut Touch, released in 1988; her first and last album to experiment with an ethereal sound best described as Enya New-Agery meets the percussive leanings of Kate Bush, via the melodrama of Florence + The Machine. It's an album quite unlike anything else she recorded. For instance, the Medieval folk of opener Out Of The Shadows could not be further away from her later, more popular MOR style:
Though she continued to cover left-field topics, such as homewrecking on Adia and overdose on Angel, Touch was the final time the production matched her unconventional themes. Considering this is her only album not to be produced by Pierre Marchand, it's easy to see how she fell into the easy-listening world of Natalie Merchant and co from Solace onwards:
"There's no one left to finger"? Her 90s work is edgier than I remember.
Touch not only features complex musical arrangements, but also has McLachlan at her most lyrically complex. Lines like "Through your eyes the strains of battle, like a brooding storm / You're up and down these pristine velvet walls like focus never forms", from Vox, trounces later attempts at poignancy and gives fellow obscure lyricist Stevie Nicks a run for her Coke money.
These are adventures in McLachlan's teenage diaries. She was just 19 at the time of recording, yet the unabashed soul-searching is just what makes this album so affecting. The extended version of Vox (added to the re-issue in 1989), may sound like a dated 12" mix now, but the sassy, demanding outro is full of the spirit that's missing from much of her following works. Meanwhile on Steaming, she's less commanding, but just as captivating, as she waits for her lover's instruction:
There are the misfires. Uphill Battle is a wasteful instrumental, Strange World is a mundane track that doesn't feel fully realised, and closing track Ben's Song is a sparse, piano-led weepy that's lost without the driving instrumentation featured elsewhere.
The aria of the mystic title track is what one might expect from Charlotte Church now that she's gone all alternative, and despite its over-the-top lyrics, Sad Clown is carried by climbing synths, whilst the male vocals on Trust's chorus compliment McLachlan's higher register as she tackles more heartache.
Touch may be a smidgen too hysterical for those who are used to her safer, more ordinary offerings, but that's because it remains her most experimental and intriguing work to date. Now all she needs to do is ditch Pierre and re-hire Greg Reely - theatrical females are back in.
She was the first member to jump out of the Sugababes car before it crashed, and with a reformation of the original line-up recently confirmed, it's time to welcome Siobhan Donaghy back to the room.
In 2001 record label London dropped the 'Babes but signed Shiv, and she debuted with the rock-influenced Revolution In Me two years later. First single Overrated, a dig at the original 3-piece's first hit Overload, made the top 20, then further singles bombed.
She returned in 2007 with a new Parlophone contract under her arm and an experimental flair up her sleeve, standing out amongst Take That's comeback and Rihanna's meteorological reign, and it's her second album, Ghosts, that earns her such a warm welcome back.
Don’t Give It Up, the lead single, opens the set with a galloping electronic riff that plummets into a swooning chorus, setting the scene for a Cocteau Twins-styled comeback.
The grand ballad So You Say followed, replete with firework sounds and hypnotic harmonies, a sister track perhaps to Patrick Wolf's Bluebells or Frou Frou's Hear Me Out.
Even Ghost's more straight-forward tracks have a kookier edge, such as the Jem-like breeze of Sometimes, with its non-lyrical chorus made up entirely of whoops and shrieks, and would have made an excellent 3rd cut.
Admittedly, there are a few throwaway tracks. There's A Place sounds like a One Touch demo whilst the strut and funk of 12-Bar Acid Blues (god only knows what that title means), doesn't quite lift the rhyme-by-numbers number off the ground.
The more peculiar moments make up for the less inspiring ones - Goldfish, (with hints of Kate Bush and Felt Mountain era Goldfrapp) highlights Siobhan's vocal power, as the album's producer James Sanger wraps her voice in a celestial breakdown and an almost trance-inducing climax.
Other songs are more low-key, yet still come with intriguing whispers and sweeping refrains aplenty. Styfling, a track that was left off the album, was later released as a remix by Square 1. Ignore the version with the rap segments and go for this:
The album closer is the title piece, and as a song in reverse, bonkers lines like ‘fuel full fat her glass of milk’ are transformed into a spooky chant, giving Roma Ryan's Loxianlanguage tracks on Enya's Amarantine album a run for their money.
Overall, despite being unsuccessful (it peaked at #92), the album is a healthy mix of radio friends and complex tunes. Whether or not the Sugababes 1.0 reunion will showcase Ms Donaghy's esoteric leanings remains to be seen. Until then, this is the go-to album for anyone who thinks that Nicola Roberts was the first girlbander to do Odd 'n' Peculiar solo.
Following the moody, chic High & Low from earlier on in the year, Swedish Idol 2009 finalist Tove Styrke is taking another stab at UK chart success with Call My Name. Think Robyn's pulsating beats making friends with Sky Ferreira's effervescent charm. The best bits are the echo segments, and there's something strangely reminiscent of Seven Wonders by Fleetwood Mac in the electronic bleeps and bloops of the chorus. Frolicking on with the 80s feel, I'll be two steps over the water is a cheeky reference to Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush.There's no video as yet, but you can satisfy your ears at least:
Admiration must be dealt to the duo as they have unexpectedly change tact on album four. Out go the synths (mostly) and in come the acoustic guitars. It's make-or-break time for the band as they desert the genre that finally made them stars with Supernature back in 2005.
Seventh Tree sees Goldfrapp leaving the dancefloor and fleeing to the coffeehouse, with a floating, hippy feel prevailing. Excellent first single A&E starts off calm and unassuming, swirls through Kate Bush territory, before fading back into a simple guitar riff.
Cologne Cerrone Houdini (the new tongue-twister sweeping the nation) almost has a title too pompous to merit listening, but is actually a cool, sophisticated track that mixes a wistful mood ('I'm in your car / But not your life') with dreamy, high-pitched vocals recalling elements of Felt Mountain.
Happiness is a clever observation of today's self-help culture summed up by: 'Donate all your money / We'll make it better'. Here, the synths return, squelching and swooshing away, and is an obvious choice for 2nd single.
Elsewhere, however, the majority of tracks are less instantly appealing. Clowns is barely audible and along with Eat Yourself, features rather disturbing lyrics - the former concerning Barbies and 'titties' and the latter commencing with the line 'If you don't eat yourself / No doubt the pain will instead'. Perhaps these are stabs at poignancy, but instead of being engagingly offbeat they're both easily skippable.
Monster Love is a decent finish, tying up the bittersweet mood of the album in the key line: 'Here is where we start / and where we end'. The sentiment could return to haunt them - will the start of a new sound also be the end to their success? Touches of cleverness and ingenuity are ruined by confusing lyrics, but the album is still worth investigating for the precious few gems. 3/5.
