Deixaas

Mercedes Peon's exploratory lyricism, manic multi-instrumentalism, dynamic live shows, and even her punky cropped hair, have lent Galician folk an entirely new image; she has a feminist attitude and freeform character that are thrillingly contemporary. Deixaas, her fifth album, harnesses a sound that is both earthy and industrial, moving away from traditional arrangements towards something genuinely new. The title-track mixes in metallic sounds, heavy metal licks and a pounding bass, overlaid with her wild wailing incantatory poetry. The influence of club culture powers the beat on several songs, and on ‘Plataforma’ it's reduced right down to a mesmerising, abstract pulse. The next song, ‘Tras o Muro’, is equally minimalist, though in a sacred vein: echoes of Michael Nyman come through in its slow, sensual cycles.

Vocally, Mercedes Peón has something of the ‘white witch’ mystical edginess of Camille, Värttinä or First Aid Kit; but she's less orthodox than any of these. This album is never boring and often beautiful.