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album reviews

Tallulah Rendall



Libellus 8½ ( 2009 )
Time Fades / Black Seagull / Lay Me Down / Only You / Lost In The Morning / Hope Tonight / Here By Me / Time Away / Wake Up / Rest In Peace

London songstress Tallulah Rendall releases her debut LP 'Libellus' on the 1st of June, 2009. Initial copies of 'Libellus' will be presented within a 50 page, illustrated hardback book. Produced by Marius de Vries (Björk, PJ Harvey) 'Libellus' sounds expansive and also contains echoes of another great female artist, Kate Bush. Tallulah's voice is soft and emotional resonant, she's also something of a multi-instrumentalist, playing Glochenspiel and Piano as well as guitar on the album. Despite the references above, she also manages to sound utterly unique and after three or four listens to 'Libellus' you'll be firmly in her world, forgetting other music even existed. Slow moving and carefully constructed it may be, which doesn't really match this ever faster spinning modern world will live in, yet suffice to say'Libellus' is well worth the wait and the speed it imposes on you. It stops you in your tracks and forces you to listen attentively.

One of her early singles 'Lay Me Down' reveals hints of Jazz within both the music and vocal delivery. Suitably haunting and smoky, this is one for dark late nights with the headphones on. 'Only You' bursts out magnificently in faintly pyschedelic fashion half-way through before dipping back into the same kind of beautiful quiet it began. A little bit of a jaw-opener is 'Only You', an absolutely brilliant piece. 'Lost In The Morning' is remarkably of a similar quality yet utterly different, a weaving spell with gorgeously atmospheric backing vocals and picturesque lyrics. 'Wake Up' is pretty and uplifting whilst the closer 'Rest In Peace' reminiscent of Kate Bush's more dreamy, 'Hounds Of Love' side two, moments. All in all, a hugely impressive debut album.

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