The voice of Reb Fountain is nothing like the jangling guitars of The Verlaines, nor are the hooks on her record here like those on a release from The Chills, and yet the singer's on the same label. Flying Nun is dropping the self-titled debut album on Friday and it signals the arrival of a really superb voice. And while the voice is the powerful element here, the arrangements are compelling as well.
"Hawks & Doves" is deceptively gentle and simple even as "It's a Bomb (It's a Plane)" is moodier still, echoes of Fiona Apple here. Reb favors a straightforward approach that works well with her voice, and it's an approach that makes slow-burn numbers here, like "Don't You Know Who I Am" and "Faster" so successful. The unadorned "Quiet Like the Rain" worked best for me here, even as I intellectually acknowledge just how easily Fountain hits at a raw nerve over and over again throughout this record in order to convey some heavy emotions as directly as the torch singers of old.
Reb Fountain is out on Friday via Flying Nun.
More details on Reb Fountain via the official website.
[Photo: Nine Mile Publicity]