Mirador

The English-language tracks of this album are fine, and will be thoroughly enjoyed by any fans of Po'Girl or First Aid Kit. ‘Song to the Open Road’ is a warm, energetic opener that sets out their impressive Americana credentials with winning banjo that echoes the classic old-time ‘fly away my pretty little miss’ riff. ‘Tell Me No’ is a blues tinged stomp, big on harmony. But to this listener's ears it is the French-language tracks that are the real winners, sounding much more individual and focused. The songs in English just don't seem to have quite the same impact, whether you understand the lyrics or not. The immediately arresting title-track has a moody Parisian Gypsy flavour with bittersweet, assertive vocal harmonies and plangent, sour fiddle. ‘La Corde’ is Francophone country on which fiddle Julia Zech really comes into her own.

The album sounds great, with an idiosyncratic vintage-style production that pushes the vocals right up front with a dusty, gentle distortion rounding everything off nicely. That lo-fi touch makes an already distinctive sound even more so, giving the acoustic barnyard shuffle of ‘Cette Ronde’ a certain soupçon of the Velvet Underground at their sunniest.