With a name as divisive as Marmite’s starchy taste, Woman’s Hour has carried the softly burning torch of late noughties dream-indie into the present day in a simple and uplifting way. The Kendal-born four piece now reside in London and are signed to the independent Indiana-based label, Secretly Canadian, who distribute Anthony and the Johnsons and Richard Swift, amongst others. This is relevant because it hints at the label’s penchant for idiosyncratic vocal styles, offering the ideal home to Fiona Jane Burgess’ blissed out northern pipes.
The band came to our attention a while ago, with the release of their barebones cover of Springsteen’s seminal ‘Dancing in the Dark’. The cover flaunts Burgess’ Cumbrian twang, which gave Bruce’s lyrics a new meaning. Conversations holds these signatures close to its heart, stitching strains of Roxy, Indie and harmonised electronica carefully around it. Just don’t be fooled, if you don’t like The XX, then your appreciation of Woman’s Hour may be a little stunted. Yet, in saying this, there are no pretences being made about their allegiances to that niche style, which is quite refreshing.
One song in and the title track struts around a cheeky beat with delicate precision to a synthesised backdrop that whirrs under tasteful harmonies. ‘In Stillness We Remain’ heartfully laments a world-weary tedium and an absent romance, inviting you to nod your head in solemn consent, before the downtempo ‘Our Love Has No Rhythm’ unfurls, melodically reminiscent of certain Sting tracks. For us it’s a highlight of the album; a deft combination of palm-muted string work and reverberated howls in the distance, called back to earth by a satisfyingly calm beat that refuses to stay true to the chorus line. Here, harmonies are used sparsely and to great effect.
Leaving Burgess’ intriguing vocals aside, I feel like I could be listening to The Strokes, Vampire Weekend, or maybe, at a push, a drunk Justin Vernon production. The album starts to draw in with ‘Two Sides of You’ – the aesthetic blueprint for the release – a moonlit midnight jam devoid of a beat, with Kraftwerk whispering from the shadows. ‘Reflections’ becomes perhaps the most dynamic song on the album, utilising all of the bands facets. You can even hear some tasteful old R&B guitar work thrown into the chorus, while the vocal reverb dial reaches level 11.
I begin to wish the album had finished with ‘Reflections’, but the final, oddly titled offering, ‘The Day that Needs Defending’, may grow on me with more listens. This is a catchy, brooding and potentially prophetic album for a particular strand of electronic Indie music in the future – keep your ears primed for Woman’s Hour.
Conversations is out now. Buy the CD and vinyl on the official Woman’s Hour online store, and the digital release on iTunes.
Jake Leyland
