At only 19, Australian singer-songwriter Lisa Mitchell has served up Wonder, a folk-pop gem of a debut album that completely belies her youth.
Inviting comparisons to fellow Aussie Lenka, as well as Icelandic songstress Emiliana Torrini, Mitchell mines the quirkier side of pop music on Wonder, creating whimsical compositions hung from the catchiest of hooks.
Given the authenticity of the songs and her unassuming persona, the fact that Mitchell was a finalist on Australian Idol at the age of 16 stands out far more as an aberration than a cause for suspicion.
As anyone who’s followed GusGus knows, surprises await with every release. But the Icelandic collective has even more surprising surprises with its latest album, 24/7. First, there’s the Jesus-on-velvet cover art; then there’s a cameo by pop-savant Jimi Tenor. And there’s the track list, just six songs long.
24/7 is the group’s first album on Cologne’s micro-house juggernaut Kompakt, so it’s filled with darker, abstract electronic tracks instead of club hits. The video for the first single, the share-friendly “Add This Song,” takes place in a morgue and includes a fetish-friendly corpse-licking scene. Despite these quirks, singer Daníel Ágúst says that this time around, the intent was to take a break from the circus vibe the group spent the last decade cultivating. “We allow the band to go through changes and develop musically,” he explains. “When I came back, it was because I felt I had something to share.” Read More »
