Snowbird // Moon
For full satisfaction, ignore the players and concentrate on the music.
Release Date: (Released 27th January 2014)
Snowbird // moon (Bella Union)
Snowbird is a collaboration between Stephanie Dosen and Bella Union head-honcho/ex-Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde, with backing musicians including Radiohead's Philip Selway and Ed O'Brien, Midlake's Eric Pulido and McKenzie Smith, Paul Gregory of Lanterns On The Lake and Jonathan Wilson.
I had high expectations, very high expectations. Initially, I was disappointed. Simply put, this does not match the highpoints of the participants' back catalogues. It is too safe, too mainstream, too new age, too, well, soft. But - and it is a huge, in capitals, double underlines, bold BUT - put expectations aside and this is a good album that occasionally reaches greatness.
Dosen and Raymonde are clearly talented songwriters. Dosen's vocals (frequently double- and triple-tracked) are gorgeous. The instrumentation is, at times, exquisite and the songs are never less than well-crafted and well played.
There are clear hints of the Cocteaus, Dosen's solo work and Midlake. I didn't detect anything of Radiohead but there are suggestions of School Of Seven Bells, Fleet Foxes, the Laurel Canyon folk pantheon and, dare I say it, Enya. The clearest comparison is "Against Nurture" by Frances McGee's post-Vaselines band Suckle but I suspect that will mean little.
This is an album that is well worth a listen and one that the likes of "I Heard An Owl Call My Name", "Charming Birds From Trees" and the relatively driving "Bear On My Tail" suggest will be a grower.
Pavlis (and, with expectations suspended, I'll give this a 7/10)
