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Tony Stamp reviews Breeders singer Kim Deal's solo debut, and a piano-based album from Wellington musician Tess de Lyon.
Check out the latest album releases every week on The Sampler.
Nobody Loves You More by Kim Deal
If you're of a similar age and inclination to me, hearing Kim Deal's voice is like being immediately wrapped in a blanket. It's familiar and has always been a little worn around the edges, just as it's always been bursting with character.
The songs on Nobody Loves You More stretch back to 2011 and many would be at home on a Kim Deal Breeders album (the band she's fronted since the '90s). Kim's twin sister Kelley plays guitar on a few. The biggest surprise comes on the title track when a bed of strings swoops into view, then later the parp of a brass section.
Kim's sense of cool radiates so brightly here that those instrumental additions feel like they inhabit her world rather than overpower it. With the centre of gravity she provides, unexpected moments like the drunken horn line on 'Coast' make perfect sense. Elsewhere there are programmed drums and intentionally sloppy guitar. Despite the wide array of contributors, Nobody Loves You More sounds like it could only have come from Kim Deal.
Tessa's Album by Tessa De Lyon
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'Knotty', 'scuzzy' and 'gloomy' was how I described Bright Black Night - the second album by Mystery Waitress - in last month's review.
It came as a pleasant surprise that the band’s singer and creative force Tessa Dillon had released a solo piano-based effort under the name Tessa de Lyon.
Even more surprising was the music, which sometimes feels like the inverse of her band; light, unencumbered, and full of hope.
Other than Dillon, the main players here are Olivia Campion on drums and Alexander 'Honey' Boulton who adds plenty of character on banjo. Then there's Brooke Singer, best known as the singer-songwriter in French For Rabbits. She was the recording engineer on the sessions and I imagine had advice to share about making quiet songs feel impactful.
It's no small feat to create music this seemingly effortless. de Lyon's album appears to be the product of zero expectations - these songs just needed to exist.
Tessa's Album still has some darkness but it's presented with a constantly light touch and a seemingly endless supply of comforting melodies.
