Polly Scattergood - Polly Scattergood

Here we have the debut album by Polly Scattergood, a mere 21 year old from just outside of Colchester.
Lead track I Hate The Way is a less kooky Bjork, spooky and breathy. Her singing voice also has the drama of Kate Bush. These are obvious reference points perhaps, but accurate ones. After about three minutes of a spookily slow build the drums start pushing the tune higher and lifting it from its beautiful slumbers. It’s quite gorgeous despite never going anywhere until the crazy psychosis ending.
There follows Other Too Endless which reminds me of the disturbed drama of Bellatrix and their off kilter pop. Untitled 27 is a fairly paint by numbers mysterious mood piece while Please Don’t Touch is better, a catchy if fairly straightforward kook pop number. I Am Strong is electro pop lite, it’s a decent tune but there’s nothing that grabs hold of you. Unforgiving Arms is similarly MOR, and the formula is starting to wear thin. After the shock of the opening track it appears the ideas were few and far between.
But then we get Poem Song, much more interesting, a sparse piano line and some interference holding up a distraught and wonderfully played vocal. Bunny Club continues the upturn in fortunes of the album, an innocent twee little electro nursery rhyme. Recent single Nitrogen Pink finds Polly sounding very like Bjork again, as a raging song with mad fiddles and the like powers away in the background. Breathe In Breathe Out sees the vocal comparison continue, but this time on a quite affecting minimalist emotional piece. Polly’s made a decent album, one that would be all the better for the removal of the mid section, but there’s enough here to keep you happy.

Polly Scattergood is out on Mute now
Polly Scattergood's myspace is here