31 January 2012
Subba Cultcha

From the first tender moments of Bristolian collective Phantom Limbs second album it's clear that their USP is the mountainous lungs of front-woman Yolanda Quartey, whose commanding presence lifts this album into a peerless category of it's own design. Their music exists in that lush middle ground between country, folk and indie rock which is given extra heft by Quartey, a woman who is equal parts Diana Ross and Loretta Lynn. Recorded in California with ex Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford, 'The Pines' is an incendiary collection with a decidedly American vibe which belies it's origins in the birth-place of trip-hop.

The 12 tracks here all follow a rather uniform pattern (namely subtle rhythms, tight, spacey production and simple melodies) and whilst such a regimented formula might seem at odds with an age of such impatient musical taste-makers it's by far the albums best asset. It holds together remarkably well as a solid, cohesive body of work, a rare commodity these days it would seem. Another ace up the bands collective sleeve is the emotional core which is at it's most striking on the stunning 'I'll Have Mercy', a startlingly affecting torch song so vital and soulful it makes Adele's 'Someone Like You' sound like 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini'. Elsewhere the constant mood of hushed reverence can seem a little overbearing on the haunted 'Hollow Eyes' and when the band strive for a more gentle high on 'Harder Than Stone' it feels like they are almost under-reaching but these are small niggles rendered inconsequential by the closing 'High And Dry', a tender ballad which truly earns it's 7 minute plus runtime.

It could be argued that Phantom Limb are hardly reinventing the wheel here, but 'The Pines' is a record which looks back to the golden sounds of the late 60's and early 70's and distils that comforting sound into a unique, timeless and unashamedly emotional 50 minutes. In Yolanda Quartey too we have a genuinely revelatory talent which shows even in a period saturated by female vocalists with big voices there is still much more still to discover. The year might only be a few weeks old but I doubt we'll see another British record quite like this one in 2012.

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