Cat Power
Sun
Matador
Celebrated for her searching voice and haunting guitar, the American singer makes a welcome return to original material on this tenth album. Written, played, recorded and produced entirely by herself, Sun is a bleak, distant and spectral collection of tracks that moves between the catchy piano hook of Ruin, the electronic sounds of Real Life and 3,6,9 and a surprising vocal cameo by Iggy Pop.
The dark, adolescent confessionals of Moon Pix have been replaced by 10 deeply personal songs that almost verge on the optimistic. Peace and Love concludes with 鈥淚鈥檓 a lover but I鈥檓 in it to win鈥 and the slightly patronising Nothin鈥 But Time advises younger listeners to look past their current situations: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e just trying to get by, but your world is just beginning 鈥 it鈥檚 up to you to be a superhero.鈥
Purists may long for a return to the anthemic double tracked guitars and troubled vocals of earlier tracks such as Metal Heart but these are acutely observed songs that are well worth your attention.
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Bethany Rex