Aged just 19, Brighton based singer-songwriter
Astra sings with the unwavering authority and assuredness of someone
far more experienced. Her voice wrings with a youthful innocent
and proceeds to provide a dreamy counterpoint to sparse melodic
dark-folk arrangements which feature her on guitar, Dave Hickson
on piano and Abi Fry (Bat for Lashes, British Sea Power) on viola.
As such, the vocals and instrumentals on this celestial neo-pop
folk release establish an intimate harmonic relationship whilst
retaining their linear individuality.
Opener ‘Liberty’ showcases
Astra in her element with its smoky noir-ish aesthetic that is
augmented by darkly glistening melodies and Astra’s sombre
gravelly vocals. The layers of keys, viola and guitar compound
upon each other, swelling progressively into a giddy peak that
grips ones emotion with understated force. This enchanting theme
continues through to the transcendental ‘Hutch’. Sounding
like a composition dreamt up in the darkest and most isolated
of Scandinavian forests , ‘Hutch’ features a poignant
tapestry of sparsely arranged melodies whilst Astra’s delicate
and brooding hum delights. The way she manages to drape her vocals
over the poignant arrangements, elongating and drawing out certain
words, recaptures the captivating glory of Beth Gibbon’s
most intimate pieces. The pluck-heavy arrangement of title-track
‘Where You Rest’ is a perfect example of Astra’s
ability, her hanging and accentuated vocals drifting smoke like
across an intimate and melancholic terrain of neo-classical melodica
that peaks and troughs with dynamic momentum. Towards the end
of this consistent long-player, ‘Angel’ fizzes with
a pastoral majesty, Fry’s brooding strings creating an uneasy
and downcast ebb-and-flow to proceedings.
Typical of the fresh and exciting sound
cultivated in the vibrant Brighton scene, ‘Where You Rest’
is a dreamy, quixotic piece of dark folk that will enthral with
its exotic, swelling melodica and mesmeric vocals. (KS)
For
fans of: Beth Gibbons, PJ Harvey, Isobel Campbell, Alpha
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