THE BITTER SEA
Nina McSweeney
(FMR)
Don’t be fooled by the Massive Attack approach of the opening track on Nina McSweeney’s debut album.
There’s a lot more depth and substance to the Kiwi songwriter, who has featured on the Concord Dawn tracks Easy Life and The River, than the sound-alike single Lost In Translation might suggest.
McSweeney has one of those fascinating voices that can easily slip in and out of different genres – dark and haunting on a song such as aJapanese Ghost Story and equally as comfortable as a lounge siren on the enchantingly tug-at-you Falling From Grace or the bone-rattling and bluesy aBleached Bones.
The Bitter Sea alludes to the grey edges of relationships but adopts an almost’s observer’s position where McSweeney can sometimes sound as if she’s floating above the drama that’s unfolding or is reframing it from a different perspective.
A lot of the credit for that has to go to co-producer and Decortica bass player Brendon Kahi.
Car manufacturer Honda has already picked up on Someone Told Me for their new campaign, which should add the rpms to her bpms.
Ad Feedback
–
