Notoriously I’m out of step in general with my musical tastes. Much like Jesca it seems, and Johnny Ramone before her, I tend to think everything that came earlier on is always better. Always more inspired and genuine than something newly downloadable.
I mean, how can it not be, really? Most everything is revivalist to some degree which inherently arrives without a pedigree. . . unless there’s some taste exhibited. Something new sewn into the fabric. A hint or authenticity bordering on a sense of danger or mystery. A world-weary need to reinvent. To reimagine.
Which Ms. Hoop has in spades.
And notoriously I rarely, if ever, agree with critics. But I am sensing some like minds amidst a number of them out there when it comes to Jesca’s new LP, “Hunting My Dress.”
“She spins a balance between play and poignancy, complexity and catchiness, without breaking a thread.” —The Observer
“In a voice that ranges from gentle, crystalline charm to edgy intensity, she’s in turn playful, bluesy, haunting, and folky. What prevents this all from becoming a mish-mash of textures is Hoop’s single minded passion, which lends a self assured cohesion to her diversity.” 4 STARS —Uncut
“A new sound that is both studied and inspired.” 4 STARS —Q
“Hunting My Dress rejoices in off-the-cuff dreamlike sensuality, pitching and rolling in all sorts of pleasingly unexpected directions.” 4 STARS —Mojo
“Veers between Kate Bush meets Bat For Lashes away-with-the-fairies pop, PJ Harvey ballsy blues-rock, and sultry folk – all done with the kind of slightly off-kilter art-house production you’d expect of Bjork.” —The Telegraph
Yet as I often say here, don’t take my word for it. Hell, in this guise I’m a critic.
We have a copy of Jesca Hoop’s new LP to award one among you who can pick up the thread started here and run with the baton with some well wrung words in the comments to this post. Older music/newer music—where am I wrong or right? How does Jesca fit in among this thread?
We’ll choose one from the insightful bunch next Tuesday, 8/10, and important—remember to leave us a contact email address!
Jesca Hoop -Feast of the Heart (Mp3)
Authorized for download!
