Emmy The Great – Camden Wheelbarrow, London – 18/5/11
3/5
By: Josh Daniel
It’s been a two year wait for fans of Emmy the Great‘s understated country tinged pop, and tonight in Camden she showcased her new album from start to finish, in somewhat of a London premiere (Fileshare not withstanding - as she coyly alluded to in her introduction).
The classic band arrangements on display here are nothing out of the ordinary, but that’s not to say they are tedious either. Forthcoming single ‘A Woman, A Woman, A Century of Sleep’ sounds just as reservedly powerful in the live setting, although her voice crackled in parts. The shimmering lead guitar lines of impressive opener 'Dinosaur Sex' as haunting as they are politely restrained.
If – as with her first album – her studio recordings add studied arrangements and warmth to the somewhat 'skinny' live performances, then we could be in for a treat with Virtue as 'A Woman, A Woman…', 'Iris' and the captivating half spoken, half sung 'Paper Forest (In the Afterglow of Rapture)' coming across as well structured, radio friendly tracks. The simplicity of Tom Petty and the wordplay of Morrissey operate underneath.
'Trellick Tower' ends the assured album performance mournfully, with sedate pacing and guitars removed in place of minimalist twinkling keys over cliched, yet personal lyrics of want or need (amongst the backdrop of an outdated, beautiful remnant of 60s architecture). It stands at odds with the other tracks, but it at least had the crowd enthralled, more out of respect than awe I suspect. Question marks remain, but the more I listen to her older songs, the less her failings seem important.
London's own Joseph Arthur, a perhaps underrated singer-songwriter whose simple lyrics belie an attuned and thoughtful mind, tonight she demonstrates that the relative success of her first album certainly wasn’t a one off. If she can find a way to separate herself from the many folk tinged warblers clogging the ether, she should be fine, but I fear that many listeners may lack the time to let her grow upon you.
Artists in this article: Emmy The Great
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