I first heard the music of Scout Niblett seven years ago when I saw her supporting Smog. I was immediately drawn to the exhuberance and simplicity of her songs. She performed solo, alternating between playing drums and guitar but always singing in a quite unique voice, in turn pure and mournful and then vibrant and full of enthusiasm.
Her albums since then have been somewhat patchy, best of all was 2004's 'I Am' which captured best the quiet/loud/quiet/completely demented style of her live shows.
Here she returns with her sixth album, once again produced by Steve Albini. The combination works well since Niblett has, this time, gone for a sound which is heavy on spine chilling electric guitar walls of sound. It is a stripped bare as things can get, usually just guitar or drums with Niblett singing over the top. Her voice has developed into a thing of beauty. She either wails over the top of the loud feedback-drenched workouts or laments with a plaintively pure, soulful voice over the softer ballads...
In truth 'ballads' is a slightly misleading word here because even when things are quiet, this record is full of ice cold menace and you are never far away from a lightning bolt of electric guitar or a flourish of full-band accompaniment. The songs blend seamlessly into one another and the record is certainly presented as a traditional LP, twisting and turning through different moods.
This is far from easy listening but as a mix of garage and blues with a soul singer at the helm, it works well. Musically 'Calcination..' is a dark, fearsome record but when Scout sings the blues, it will melt your heart.
7.5
['The Calcination of Scout Niblett' is out now on Drag City]
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