Hailing from Cardiff, UK – Cate Le Bon’s sophomore LP ‘CYRK’ has just been released on the Ovni label - the imprint founded by fellow Welsh folk pop hero Gruff Rhys - and follows on from her successful debut ‘Me Oh My’ back in 2009.
Le Bon’s voice has always been the tool that differentiates her from the rest of the pack, and ‘CYRK’ finds her in fine form. Probably most famous for singing backing on Neon Neon’s ‘I Lust U’ in 2008 (Gruff Rhys' involvement again), Cate manages to sound more and more like Nico from the Velvet Underground every day, but somehow still manages to retain her Welsh lilt throughout the course of the album.Opening track ‘Falcon Eyed’ sees Le Bon and her band banishing the low-key mood of her debut and striking out with a sixties-pop infused riff, topped with beautiful off-key vocal harmonies.
Comparisons to Nico can’t be dismissed, especially when slow-burners such as ‘Puts Me To Work’ and the waltzing ‘Julia’ are so reminiscent of the Velvets during their late 60s heyday.
Unlike her previous works, 'CYRK' is sung entirely in English rather than her native Welsh, which should hopefully open her work up to a larger audience. The lyrics though, are still very much on the sombre side. The title track opens with the lines "Now is not a good time, to leave me on my own" and the subject of isolation is quite prevelant throughout. This is juxtaposed with the jangly pop that most of the record provides.
Comparisons to Nico can’t be dismissed, especially when slow-burners such as ‘Puts Me To Work’ and the waltzing ‘Julia’ are so reminiscent of the Velvets during their late 60s heyday.
Unlike her previous works, 'CYRK' is sung entirely in English rather than her native Welsh, which should hopefully open her work up to a larger audience. The lyrics though, are still very much on the sombre side. The title track opens with the lines "Now is not a good time, to leave me on my own" and the subject of isolation is quite prevelant throughout. This is juxtaposed with the jangly pop that most of the record provides.
The album is more suited to a live setting however, with some of the tunes not packing the same punch on record as they do on stage, but still ‘CYRK’ is a definite improvement on the debut and can no way be classed as a difficult second album; far from easy listening, but much less uneasy listening than in the past.
Ben Gallivan is based in Cardiff, UK; he likes music and has done for all 34 of his years. That’s why he set up Ben Likes Music, a blog devoted to exactly that.
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