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From that nonsense on to something much more the thing. It's Heidi Berry and her American take on the British folk rock movement. First mini-LP Firefly (1987) doesn't give much away, as it's got six relatively jaunty folky tunes, but what is immediately clear is that she has a fabulous voice, clear and calm but not remotely cold, and it suits her material brilliantly. One problem with Firefly is that the opening song, 'Out of My Hands' is a direct steal musically from Dexy's 'Geno', which once noticed you can't ignore. Her mission to become the new Sandy Denny never really came to fruition, but over the course of her five albums she made a fine attempt. Firefly is a charming listen (and the title track is a stunner) but it's undemanding and Berry would make better records later. Her next (and last) record for Creation was Below the Waves (1989). It's a step on from Firefly in that it's a more arresting record, and it has a much more melancholy air about it, moving her closer to her Sandy Denny dream. But it's too much on a single note and you find yourself wishing for a bit of variation (the 7 minute 'Northshore Train' for instance is too much). Nonetheless there are some beautiful bits of music here ('Ribbons', and 'River Song' are particularly lovely, if making her Nick Drake fixation a little obvious) and her voice is in great form. It also has a few of the stylistic touches that would be developed later (particularly the bass-led 'Gather All the Hours' with its swathes of atmospheric keyboards and super-subdued strings).
Things develop away from the folk to the more atmospheric with her signing to 4AD and the label clearly had ideas that they could marry their trademark ethereal sound to Berry's rather earthier folkism and the proof that it was a decent idea is evident in Love (1991). It's an absolutely stunning album I think, and one which utilises the best of both the label and the artist's approaches to best effect. The more precious elements of the 4AD house style are undermined by Berry's grounded songwriting and voice and those parts of her style are lifted by the light, ethereal, reverb heavy atmosphere that surrounds the songs. It's certainly a melancholy sound overall but it's a really beautiful one. And as far as cover versions go, Berry's complete dismantling of Husker Du's 'Up In the Air' is not only a beautiful piece of work in its own right, it also proves what a fantastic songwriter Bob Mould is. The next album is Heidi Berry (1993) and this builds on the bits of Love that really worked and leaves off those that didn't, creating an album that goes back to focussing more on Berry's solid folk grounding and less on the spacey vibe. This works to the great benefit of the songs, which are the best she wrote, but in a way I miss the generally sad feeling of Love. Heidi Berry is still a seriously melancholic album, but it's the songs and not the mood that make it so. There are some wonderful songs on the album and I think she seems more comfortable with the post-folk setting.
The only single that Berry released was to promote the Heidi Berry album and 'The Moon and the Sun' was a decent, relatively upbeat choice for a lead song, but there are three other fabulous tunes on it, particularly 'Unholy Light' and the cover of Tim Hardin's 'You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie' (which for my money is possibly the best song title ever). Berry's final album Miracle (1996) is a poised but slightly dirgy end to her career to date and although sometimes it feels a bit like wading through treacle it's still a considered and delicate record. First song 'The Mountain' is a bit of a chore and her voice for once is not particularly good, she even sounds a bit grating. But from then on the album is a graceful glide and as an end to a little known but artistically successful career it feels appropriate.
Next up is the great Best Coast album, Crazy For You (2010). What a summer fun record this is. Every tune is a fuzzed up, reverb drenched winner, pop tunes galore played out as angsty lo-fi rock music. A million miles away from her work with spook-out psychedelia merchants Pocahaunted, Beth Consantino's songs for Best Coast are the definition of indie-pop at its absolute best. This stuff can't fail to cheer you up, especially when she's singing stuff that every cat owner will sympathise with. Even when it's being essentially lovelorn downbeat, the sun can't help but be out. Top ten for 2010 I reckon.
Then we have a 7" by a band who I guy I vaguely knew in Bristol used to rave and rave and rave about, the Best Kissers in the World. The two songs on this single ('Take Me Home' and 'Start All Over' - 1992) are pretty decent blasts of rough and ready indie rock, predating and presaging the explosion in punk-pop. It's all a bit like sped-up Tom Petty and it's really not bad.
And finally for today we have the debut album by Holland's finest downbeat indie-rock outfit, Bettie Serveert. Palomine (1992) is a really great album, it came totally out of leftfield and it's the kind of record that gives you hope that if you had a few weeks in a recording studio maybe you could do something good too, because it's very rough and readily recorded, and it relies entirely on the strength of the songs. And the songs are very, very good ('Leg', 'Tom-Boy', it's all good stuff). The whole thing comes across as a kind of cross between Patti Smith and Pavement and it really works.
More, slightly less successful, Bettie Serveert albums tomorrow. Chee-ars.
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