Graham Reid | | <1 min read
The Shroud
There are albums where, as a reviewer, you are tempted to quote great swathes of lyrics because the writer is so astute, descriptive, insightful or moving.
On her second album Louisa Nicklin brings a rare daring to her work but her lyrics are also an outstanding feature.
However rather than quote we leave them over to you to discover.
But a little background: Nicklin – with an honours degree in contemporary classical composition – is part of the touring Mermaidens and in Dimmer alongside Shayne P. Carter, who produced this.
Carter sets her strong, impressively flexible voice in generously spacious locations to allow for Nicklin's dramatic folk (The Highs), ambitious art music like Jeff Buckley (Can't See) and post-punk experimentalism (guitars unleashed on the wail of The Shroud).
Here the rock gristle of the aching Thick rides a strident, repetitive rhythm; The Highs showcases her vocal power and arrives with an unsettling guitar soundscape; the weary and whispery vocal of the engrossing Sleep It Off (“I’m going to sleep it off, disappointed in myself”) sits alongside expressionist sounds from guitar, synths, drums and bass with her voice echoing off into the ether as a sad wail.
Given her background and the evidence here Nicklin is one of those who is within rock culture but also apart from it, in a distinct domain of her own making.
Deep, dark and exceptional.
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You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here
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