A number of years has elapsed since Jo Mango’s debut album ‘Paperclips and Sand’ first graced us with the soothing timbre of her lullaby-like vocals.
Her subsequent years as a member of folk stalwart Vashti Bunyan’s touring band while studying the virtues of a number of different musical formats have obviously been a labor of love for the Glasgow based singer-songwriter.
Despite elusive endeavours as a solo artist, this is her second release in six years, it should be noted that her experiences collaborating with a number of different artists including Talking Heads frontman David Byrne as well as fellow contemporary folkie Devendra Banhart have clearly informed her creative outlook and served her temperament a great deal here on her sophomore effort.
The multi-instrumentalist is one of peerless talent who’s distinctive vocals are an understated gem aside from the subtle instrumentation that she is clearly well adept at when creating carefully cultivated soundscapes. A craft that was no doubt one learned having spent her formative years surrounded by a diverse and inspired group of musicians.
Opening track ‘Black Sun’ begins with the brittle percussive strokes of a Ukelele accompanying her fractured yet ethereal vocal with her hushed tones augmented by the accompanying acoustic instrumentation throughout. On ‘Ludwig’ a simple piano arrangement is surrounded by the gentle tinkering of a glockenspiel with gentle ambient nuances drifting in and out which remind of Sigur Ros at their most reflective and stripped down moments. ‘The Freedom of Seamonsters’ conveys a somewhat wistful and melancholic sentiment throughout while the intricate guitar finger picking allows the delicate vocal musings to gather a dreamy momentum.
An amazing album full of wonder that provides a largely visceral experience, lets hope there’s not another 6 years to wait until Jo Mango’s next release.
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RT @isthismusic: Album review: Jo Mango http://t.co/X2YS32Gr @jo_mango OliveGroveRCRDS