Shara Worden has a solid musical pedigree being a former member of Sufjan Steven's touring band, a student of Opera and the daughter of a National Accordion Champion (!). Her debut album as My Brightest Diamond was released in 2006 and purveyed a fairly conventional rock/indie sound. The follow up, A Thousand Sharks Teeth, is the other side of the same coin.
As a child Worden was exposed to a range of musical styles such as gospel, jazz and classical as well as contemporary rock and pop and on first listen A Thousand Sharks Teeth feels original. However, after a while it's clear who Shara Worden's influences are. Her vocal has elements of Beth Gibbons' detached chill and Bjork's stop-start intonation and her operatic power gives many of the songs added drama.
Lead single Inside A Boy is the perfect example of when all of these ingredients blend together perfectly. It's brooding and epic and shimmers with confidence. Another highlight is the devastating To Pluto's Moon that seems to be going nowhere before suddenly seven minutes have passed and you are back on earth.
There are a few slow burners so just when you think you've got it all figured out another song blooms and the album is renewed. It's all very serious though and it is a pity Worden is not a little more playful once in a while. Perhaps she could follow Sufjan Steven's example in that it is possible to make an artistic statement while still having fun now and then.
Some of the slower tracks are short on melody and the kind of thing you might expect to hear at parties you are not cool enough to be invited to. All in all this is impressive stuff and it will be interesting to see My Brightest Diamond's next step.
1 comment:
Magnum in cool music shock! Great stuff Steve.
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