What do they feed them in Wales? From the land of quaint and quirk that brought us Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Super Furry Animals another charming eccentric emerges in the form of Cate Le Bon. Actually she's been around a while and has something of a cult following but there's a feeling that she's about to break into the mainstream.
She looks a little like Sandie Shaw and her music has a 60's charm about it and others have made comparisons to Nico of The Velvet Underground fame.
The quirk factor has only been enhanced by a move to L.A. and Le Bon's new album 'Mug Museum' (released in November on Bella Union) is full of delightful hooks and impish melodies.
That said, for me it's an album that promises much but falls slightly flat at the end; half a great album.
Openers 'I can't help you' and 'Are you with me now?' are the album's highlights along with 'I think I knew' which sees Le Bon team up with Mike Hardreas aka Perfume Genius on a languid and dreamy track perfect for a summer's evening.
The melodic quality of the record fades slightly towards the close but this, Cate Le Bon's third album is far and away her best, most confident and most cohesive effort so far.
The Welsh star is embarking on a UK tour in late Winter and visits Sage on Thursday 13th February. We will be there to see if Le Bon exudes the same enchanting personality during live performance as is captured on the latest recording. You should probably check her out. If you can't we'll be reviewing the gig in a future issue of NE:MM or her on our blog.
Words: Russell Poad
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