| Women in Irish music often fall into two cliched camps:the sibling Celtic mystics and/or maudlin singer-songwriters. Julie Feeney represents a new eclecticism, and not because she may be the first musician to use a clock and the Galway train as musical tools - but she's definately no ordinary songstress. Apart from her enviable multi-instrumentalism (she plays 11 instruments here), her vocals are the linchpin holding this languid, lush debut together. Pitched somewhere between Goldfrapp minus the electronica and a burlesque Beth Orton, Feeney's voice captivates, especially her multiple harmonies on Alien and Autopilot. String-soaked Aching oozes desire, but Feeney mainly opts for sparse arrangements using piano, xylophone and melodica. And that's why the songs work so well - they manage to sound experimental without being aloof. Lyrically sage, musically taut, 13 Songs is a wonderful, wistful collection. |
