Forge Music says: ****After a series of well-received singles swelling the hype over the last two years, the long-awaited debut album from London singer-songwriter Emmy the Great, real name Emma Lee Moss, finally sees a release. What’s evident is that this isn’t an album that’s been thrown together; it’s been crafted over time, and is all the better for it.
Lyrically there’s much reference to the perils and pain of the title; ‘War’ is an album highlight, highly reminiscent of Regina Spektor as the piano builds up into a crashing crescendo in a sub-two minute package of break-up memories. Elsewhere, ‘The Easter Parade’ takes a cynical glance at Christianity, concluding simply “There’s no such thing as ghosts.” Pop culture references are scattered about too: in ‘MIA’ the aftermath of a car crash is sound tracked by an M.I.A. song playing in the tape deck whilst a blood-covered Moss in the passenger seat debates the correct pronunciation of the singer’s name.
The album has a consistently assured sound, a plethora of instruments from a variety of contributors building songs such as opener ‘Absentee’ from Moss’s simple acoustic guitar and vocal into a brass-drenched stomper. Coming out of the folk revival of the last year, there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but that’s not what it should always be about. Moss has certainly proved herself with this mature collection.
Ffion Thomas
Photo source: Emmy the Great, 'First Love' official album artwork
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