Katell Keineg
A review of her album 'High July'
Review Snapshot:
A long-awaited return, but a frustrating and very ordinary record
from someone who is capable of so much better.
The
CLUAS Verdict? 4 out of 10.
Full
review:
Raised in Wales of Breton stock, resident in Dublin and sometimes
New York, Katell Keineg released two records in the mid-90s. Blessed with a
stunning voice, her charming and poetic 1994 debut 'O Seasons O Castles' was
followed in 1997 by the fabulous 'Jet', a near-perfect album of skyscraping
ambition, playful eclecticism and literate songwriting.
Now, seven years later, Keineg finally releases her third album, 'High July'.
While slow service is sometimes worth the wait (as with
The Blue Nile's output of one album per two Olympics), in most cases the
appetite of many years is spoiled by undercooked slop like that long-awaited
second Stone Roses album. So, let's see what she has been doing for the
best part of a decade.
A couple of so-so recent EPs, 'What's The Only Thing Worse Than The End Of
Time?' and 'Shaking The Disease', had punctuated the long wait, and the title
tracks of both EPs are re-used on this album. The edgy 'What's The Only
Thing...' opens the record. It begins promisingly with a great opening line ("I
was born with millennium tension...") and a memorable hook, but its tense,
brooding air is let down by its inane title/chorus lyric and clumsy middle
section. The weedy and insubstantial 'Beautiful Day' also appeared on the
'What's The Only Thing...' EP. Pleasant but inoffensive, it's hard to see why it
merited a re-issue on this album.
'Shaking The Disease' is a bland, up-tempo rock against commercialism - a
protest song for people who consider 'Another Day In Paradise' a poignant,
socially-aware polemic. It's demoralising to witness the fiery intellect that
once wrote 'The Gulf Of Araby' reduced to a self-satisfied rant against the
"crap" in her supermarket. Sadly, it's indicative of an artist who at this point
in time seems to have nothing to say.
For most of this record Keineg hides her wonderful voice in a subdued,
incoherent mumble, and the tedious washing-machine churn of electric guitars
can't drown out the substandard songwriting on display here. The cool little
guitar riff that opens 'High Marks' is repeated to death for the rest of this
typically shapeless and flimsy song. It's a track that calls to mind the
overwrought, amped-up introspection of Jeff Buckley, whose influence pervades
much of this record. Elsewhere, American country-folk is evoked in 'Seven League
Boots' (with the great Natalie Merchant somewhere in the backing vocals), a song
as plodding and cumbersome as its title.
Some streaks of quality shine through. The prettiness of 'On Yer Way' survives
the guitar mudslides, and 'Captain (Steal This Riff)' is a rolling, driving folk
song that harks back to Keineg's joyous debut record. 'Little Joe', reminiscent
of 'Sunny' by Bobby Hebb, is a delicate and charming ode to 70s B-movie actor
Joe Dallesandro, and is one of the few tracks on this album to be allowed some
breathing-space.
One brilliant song puts the rest of this album to shame. Continuing the noble
tradition of songs about painters (David Bowie, Jonathan Richman and Keineg's
own tribute to Leonor Fini on 'Jet'), the witty 'Brother Of The Brush' has Paul
Gauguin telling of his re-incarnation as a cattle-ranching cowboy. The real
treat is the jaunty melody and an unforgettable singalong chorus.
Such rare moments of inspiration emphasise how 'High July' is a disappointing
and underwhelming record. Oh well. At least we have the next Blue Nile album to
look forward to in 2012.
Aidan Curran
Check a
review of Katell
Keineg Live in Cork (in 2003).
