This Psychedelic Sunday treat is from the debut album by Irish songwriter and musician Aoife Nessa Frances “Land of No Junction”. The song is “Libra” and the 12 string guitar playing wraps the enigmatic lyrics in a glorious and timeless jangling psych-folk-rock setting.
I came across this album in Uncut Magazine as Album of the Month. While PopLib is usually reserved for the less celebrated sounds of the underground, the interview with Aoife Nessa Frances accompanying the review contained references to PopLib favourites Maria Somerville, The Clientele, and Broadcast. So I had to check the album out. And then buy it.
Although taking a different approach and more mainstream (but not over-polished) production, the album evokes some of the same strange wooziness of Somerville’s “All My People” and also captures something of that autumnal wistfulness of The Clientele. There’s an exploratory edge to the arrangements that sees combinations of instruments full of wobbly character (mellotron, old analogue drum machines) with acoustic and electric guitars and a free-wheeling rhythm section.
Best of all is that while lots of the elements of the album might sound familiar – nostalgic even – this sounds quite unique and of its own world at the same time, and an absorbing listen.
Pop Lib 