The guitar tone on opener “What is Worse” from care le bon’s new ep Cyrk 2 is awesome. I’ve heard le bon’s voice described as haunting, but when it breaks the mix a few measures into the song, I prefer the nuances of the word transfixing instead. It’s too present to be ethereal, but there is something alluring about it that won’t let you go. By the time the song reaches its maximum potential, you’re already hooked, but it is here that the song is most rewarding.
“The Eiggy Sea” makes use of some interesting percussion, seesaw vocal patterns, and reminds me of blonde redhead, which is one hell of a compliment. The EP follows with a slower, ambling track whose off-kilter melodies and guitar reminds me in brief flashes of France’s Herman Dune at their most relaxed, though Le Bon is Welsh. Is that a kazoo in the background? Le Bon navigates distortion and lots of guitar note heavy terrain in the next song before the dynamic, high-range closer “January.” It’s not until here that I realize she sounds like Nico.
I’m aware that I’m claiming this songstress recalls a bunch of other artists, but perhaps the necessity for such an array is simply because she does have her own edge that you just can’t pin down. And if you’ve been paying attention to the roster of comparisons, you haven’t mistaken what I’m saying. Cyrk 2 contains excellent songwriting full of wondrous peculiarities. Be careful: it only gets better with more listens.
