Reviews
Birdvox Album: Shamming The Drama
Label: Hudson
Tracks: 12
Website: https://birdvoxmusic.com
Some debut albums drop into the world like an apology; a little toe dipped into the musical waters in the hope of finding a kind temperature. Then there are those debuts that cannonball into the water with fearless exuberance. These make such a splash that it's near impossible to ignore. Shamming The Drama feels very much like it might fit in that latter camp.
It helps that this is like nothing you'll have heard before. Sea Change kicks off the album with a song that astounds at every turn. One moment it's an electronica track that wouldn't seem out of place in the early 80's, then it incorporates some traditional folk elements, as well as more modern pop sensibilities. If that description suggests something that just should not work (and it really shouldn't work), then you will just have to listen to believe.
When you pick your jaw off the floor, the rest of the album continues in similar vein. There is little regard for genre norms across an album that is just a whole lot of fun from start to finish. It doesn't make for an easy review to write, with familiar touching points being few and far between, and it never settles into being one thing or another. One of the highlights on the album is King Orfeo which starts off with a traditional folk feeling before other elements are slowly incorporated without taking over completely. Then Sparx kicks in with something completely different, with its layered soundscapes making it sound more like a dance track at times.
There are plenty of artists out there who perform folk with a modern sensibility, but nothing like this. It may not be one for purists, but for everyone else there is just so much to enjoy. Shamming The Drama is incredibly well crafted incorporating so many elements that you wouldn't think would work together but absolutely do. This is an album to enjoy time and time again while we wait to see what alchemy they can conjure up next.
Adam Jenkins
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Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.