A condemned mansion on Cumnor Hill in the November darkness was Ellen McAteer’s choice of recording venue for this demo. Her ethereal tones, as well as Billy Rigg’s cello add to the other-worldly atmosphere of the record.
Her words have the lyrical sadness you might expect from a singer/songwriter who’s also a spoken-word poet. Opener ‘Blue Valentine’ is the strongest track with its haunting but hummable melody and lyrics hinting at emotional devastation close by. ‘Fake Tattoo’ also has a tune that will stay in your head for hours after hearing it.
The only let-down is ‘Howl’, which borrows a little too heavily from Mazzy Star as well as having a disconcerting melodic resemblance to Phil Collins’s I Wish It Would Rain Down; once you spot it, you can’t stop noticing it.
This demo suggests that Ellen McAteer is an artist with a lot of promise. Here’s hoping she returns soon with a full-length album: one that brings in some of the fire I’ve seen in her spoken-word performances, without skimping on the lovely tunes that make this demo a delight.