The artist subject of this review is in the true sense of the term a multi-instrumentist able to play a different range of instruments from piano to mandolin, from guitar to glockenspiel. Above all she is a rare case of mind-blowing talent, strength and resilience. A roaring thunder hailing from Wales. Apart from music she also has a PhD in Literature and Queer Theory from the University of London. She has written and published about epic poetry too. Exciting, right?
From 2006 until 2012 she has released a handful of beautiful limited edition, hand-stamped EP’s under Catherine AD moniker. From that period, we highlight "Long Day” (2006), “The Piano” (2007), “Songs for the Boy Who Wouldn't Read Rilke” (2008), “In The Bleak Midwinter” (2009), “Carry Your Heart” (2010), “Communion: Live at Church Studios” (2011 - recorded live in a single afternoon and – considered one of 20 Best Cult/Experimental Albums of 2011 by the NME) and “Reprise: The Covers Collection” (2012). All of them had a particular wave of acclaim among people craving for exciting emerging music acts.
She also collaborated with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a show at the Royal Festival Hall, but also with the Scottish super-band Dark Flowers and Emmy The Great. In 2014 after many musical adventures she decided to work under a new moniker: The Anchoress (and no, she doesn’t live in seclusion), later that year she released her first EP under the new persona titled “One For Sorrow” (2014), while during the following year she engaged in the Simple Minds, Big Music World Tour 2015, as keyboard player and additional vocalist.
Catherine Anne Davies aka The Anchoress has some musical influences of a more objective nature, she recognizes for instance to have been influenced by Karen Carpenter and The Carpenters, though Prince and Kate Bush are her major idols, but while plunging into her whole work and not only the debut album one easily deconstructs the huge ineffable presence and theatricality of Amanda Palmer and her Dresden Dolls extension, Bjork (from Vespertine phase), as well as Marina & The Diamonds (Family Jewels era), PJ Harvey singing style also often present and the recurrent ghost of Tori Amos.
This fact leads us to the assumption that an album is not properly what a musician considers objectively as her or his narrative of influences, but the way the work speaks volume to the non-mainstream listener devoting time to depict and translate such aural flux of multiple genres and artists.
Confessions of a Romance Novelist released in the early babblings of this year (a week after the release of another top 2016 full length, the unavoidable Blackstar by David Bowie), is that kind of record that on first impact leaves you unexpectedly speechless like when something hits you hard enough, but you don’t quite get from where it came and just acknowledge that you got hit.
Confessions of a Romance Novelist risk being the best indie pop debut LP of 2016, and beyond doubt one of the most accomplished albums of the year. The album displays a very consistent bouquet of songs in some different musical styles, though it is perfectly evident that Catherine Anne Davies oscillates between a posh dark folk and some intense noir chamber pop full of delicious details that catch your attention each time you put the album to a new spin.
No, Confessions of a Romance Novelist isn’t a mainstream pop bubble gum type of album neither pleasant pop pretending to be profound. It is much more than just a pop and it wouldn’t be fair to ignore that there is also a gentle scent of Manic Street Preachers in the way guitars roar in this coherent, almost concept album that will assuredly stand out as one of the most highly rated released throughout 2016.
For this refined masterpiece needless to say that Catherine Anne Davies has played almost an “army” of instruments. It couldn’t be any different considering that the inherent organic character of this album, which in a way announces the closing of a life chapter with some stylized eccentricity and which counted with the contribution of the helping hand of ex-Mansun Paul Draper on production console and took Catherine Anne Davies approximately three and a half long years, fulfilled with many incidents in between, before it was finally concluded.
TRACK BY TRACK
The album opens with Long Year deals about a chain of circumstances and events that at some point do wonder if things are going to improve any better. The song appropriately seasoned with a sinister music box opening paves the way for a dark, dense mood filled with great vocals and exquisite musical details.The fantastic What Goes Around is the «I am going to get even when you’re least expecting it» sort of song that earned Catherine Anne Davies the label of the «revenge pop» artist. Pretty much radio friendly pop rock track highly above the bubble gum mainstream nausea.
Doesn't Kill You being the «nietzschean» contribution to the album. Enchanting song! Catherine Anne Davies literally hypnotizes the listener with her sweet languid vocals. Beautiful to hear and with a strong vibe that inevitably reminds some Manic Street Preachers soundscape. The kind of song and lyrics that you easily hear on loop mode. You and Only You is a «leave me the fuck alone» kind of tune and quite an anthem that you feel that should be sung on your way to work and back home. It has some sort of uplifting formula. A delicious duet between Catherine Anne Davies and Paul Draper.One For Sorrow is the «don’t bullshit me with that crap talk of having to settle down» type of song and once again we have The Manic Street Preachers so very present in this track with languid vocals at her best as well as some Prince-esque vibe resounding throughout this track.
P.S. Fuck You the «go fuck yourself, I don’t want to see you ever again» is a fabulous song that combines the a piano ballad with a layer of fuzzy psychedelic guitar building the sonic metaphor for the broken heart rage.Popular is almost inevitably one of the several highlights of the album and a very Cures-esque type of song with brilliant details all throughout it from which I underline the chorus of voices at the very end. Bury Me is dark emotional, almost elegiac, not confrontational like most of the previous songs. This track, which slightly reminds of Evanescence “Hello” in particular, is exceptionally haunting, showing off what a piano and the wonderful gothic vocals from Catherine Anne Davies can do with this song.
Intermission (Notes To The Editor) is an intermezzo in the album a mantra of dark, nightmarish voices along with a piano and obscure ethereal chorus. It clearly works as the open gate for the album’s epilogue. Waiting to Breathe is another stunning ballad, beautiful and immaculate. Chip On Your Shoulder a highly funk-pop up-tempo frenzied song. Confessions of a Romance Novelist being the melancholic statement which highlights the circularity of this “conceptual” work is a «no, you don’t really know me by the looks» immense heartfelt album closing.
Catherine Anne Davies is already working on her follow up album with ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. Well, in fact and to be more precise this wonderfully talented young lady that i would love to interview was working on the two album simultaneously, but the need to finish confessions and close the cycle made her certainly give priority to that beautiful contribution with which she presented her loyal and growing fan base. The second album is expected for late this year and though different they may sound and be one thing remains for sure: the stakes are too high for Catherine Anne Davies and we are expecting the very best from her.
RATING: 9/10
She also collaborated with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a show at the Royal Festival Hall, but also with the Scottish super-band Dark Flowers and Emmy The Great. In 2014 after many musical adventures she decided to work under a new moniker: The Anchoress (and no, she doesn’t live in seclusion), later that year she released her first EP under the new persona titled “One For Sorrow” (2014), while during the following year she engaged in the Simple Minds, Big Music World Tour 2015, as keyboard player and additional vocalist.
Catherine Anne Davies aka The Anchoress has some musical influences of a more objective nature, she recognizes for instance to have been influenced by Karen Carpenter and The Carpenters, though Prince and Kate Bush are her major idols, but while plunging into her whole work and not only the debut album one easily deconstructs the huge ineffable presence and theatricality of Amanda Palmer and her Dresden Dolls extension, Bjork (from Vespertine phase), as well as Marina & The Diamonds (Family Jewels era), PJ Harvey singing style also often present and the recurrent ghost of Tori Amos.
This fact leads us to the assumption that an album is not properly what a musician considers objectively as her or his narrative of influences, but the way the work speaks volume to the non-mainstream listener devoting time to depict and translate such aural flux of multiple genres and artists.
Confessions of a Romance Novelist released in the early babblings of this year (a week after the release of another top 2016 full length, the unavoidable Blackstar by David Bowie), is that kind of record that on first impact leaves you unexpectedly speechless like when something hits you hard enough, but you don’t quite get from where it came and just acknowledge that you got hit.
Confessions of a Romance Novelist risk being the best indie pop debut LP of 2016, and beyond doubt one of the most accomplished albums of the year. The album displays a very consistent bouquet of songs in some different musical styles, though it is perfectly evident that Catherine Anne Davies oscillates between a posh dark folk and some intense noir chamber pop full of delicious details that catch your attention each time you put the album to a new spin.
No, Confessions of a Romance Novelist isn’t a mainstream pop bubble gum type of album neither pleasant pop pretending to be profound. It is much more than just a pop and it wouldn’t be fair to ignore that there is also a gentle scent of Manic Street Preachers in the way guitars roar in this coherent, almost concept album that will assuredly stand out as one of the most highly rated released throughout 2016.
For this refined masterpiece needless to say that Catherine Anne Davies has played almost an “army” of instruments. It couldn’t be any different considering that the inherent organic character of this album, which in a way announces the closing of a life chapter with some stylized eccentricity and which counted with the contribution of the helping hand of ex-Mansun Paul Draper on production console and took Catherine Anne Davies approximately three and a half long years, fulfilled with many incidents in between, before it was finally concluded.
TRACK BY TRACK
The album opens with Long Year deals about a chain of circumstances and events that at some point do wonder if things are going to improve any better. The song appropriately seasoned with a sinister music box opening paves the way for a dark, dense mood filled with great vocals and exquisite musical details.The fantastic What Goes Around is the «I am going to get even when you’re least expecting it» sort of song that earned Catherine Anne Davies the label of the «revenge pop» artist. Pretty much radio friendly pop rock track highly above the bubble gum mainstream nausea.
Doesn't Kill You being the «nietzschean» contribution to the album. Enchanting song! Catherine Anne Davies literally hypnotizes the listener with her sweet languid vocals. Beautiful to hear and with a strong vibe that inevitably reminds some Manic Street Preachers soundscape. The kind of song and lyrics that you easily hear on loop mode. You and Only You is a «leave me the fuck alone» kind of tune and quite an anthem that you feel that should be sung on your way to work and back home. It has some sort of uplifting formula. A delicious duet between Catherine Anne Davies and Paul Draper.One For Sorrow is the «don’t bullshit me with that crap talk of having to settle down» type of song and once again we have The Manic Street Preachers so very present in this track with languid vocals at her best as well as some Prince-esque vibe resounding throughout this track.
P.S. Fuck You the «go fuck yourself, I don’t want to see you ever again» is a fabulous song that combines the a piano ballad with a layer of fuzzy psychedelic guitar building the sonic metaphor for the broken heart rage.Popular is almost inevitably one of the several highlights of the album and a very Cures-esque type of song with brilliant details all throughout it from which I underline the chorus of voices at the very end. Bury Me is dark emotional, almost elegiac, not confrontational like most of the previous songs. This track, which slightly reminds of Evanescence “Hello” in particular, is exceptionally haunting, showing off what a piano and the wonderful gothic vocals from Catherine Anne Davies can do with this song.
Intermission (Notes To The Editor) is an intermezzo in the album a mantra of dark, nightmarish voices along with a piano and obscure ethereal chorus. It clearly works as the open gate for the album’s epilogue. Waiting to Breathe is another stunning ballad, beautiful and immaculate. Chip On Your Shoulder a highly funk-pop up-tempo frenzied song. Confessions of a Romance Novelist being the melancholic statement which highlights the circularity of this “conceptual” work is a «no, you don’t really know me by the looks» immense heartfelt album closing.
Catherine Anne Davies is already working on her follow up album with ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. Well, in fact and to be more precise this wonderfully talented young lady that i would love to interview was working on the two album simultaneously, but the need to finish confessions and close the cycle made her certainly give priority to that beautiful contribution with which she presented her loyal and growing fan base. The second album is expected for late this year and though different they may sound and be one thing remains for sure: the stakes are too high for Catherine Anne Davies and we are expecting the very best from her.
RATING: 9/10