Fading Mystery

There's a lot of this around: acoustic groups led by articulate singer-songwriters playing accomplished bluegrass-influenced music. But while Taarka aren’t as singular as, say, Gillian Welch or Chris Thile, they have enough individual quirks to set them apart. At their core is the duo of singers David Tiller and Enion Pelta-Tiller. The former is a dab hand at the mandolin, and has a warm, deep voice, with an Irish inflection to it on the intriguingly titled ‘Polyamorous Polly Ann’. He has a wry way with words too: ‘I swore off the distractions of love/For my art I took an oath/Then she came into the party…’His partner, Pelta-Tiller, shares the songwriting, and the chorus of ‘Athena’ has some enjoyably unexpected Beatles-esque chord changes and harmonies. Her lilting ballad ‘Don’t Go’ is sure to appeal to anyone who's ever enjoyed Po’Girl, while her fiddle playing has a strong Gypsy jazz influence throughout, at its most pronounced in the hip-swinging Django-ish instrumental ‘Retreat’.
Their sound is filled out by Mike Robinson on guitar and Troy Robey on bass. While this is by no means essential listening, fans of the more easy-listening side of Americana will find much to enjoy here.