Reb Fountain
Flying Nun, 2020
10/10
Although you might not be familiar with the name Reb Fountain, if you spend anytime with this pensive, pretty and highly eloquent self-titled album, you certainly won’t forget your time spent with Fountain’s brand of art.
“Hawks And Doves” wastes no time making an impression on the bare, atmospheric opener where Fountain’s inviting vocals steer a very indie-folk friendly setting, and “Samson” continues the elegance with a mix of talking and singing as piano complements the cautious landscape where Fountain invokes the qualities of Patti Smith.
Elsewhere, “Faster” offers sparse beauty which really displays Fountain’s sublime pipes as minor twang enters the equation, while “Don’t You Know Who I Am” brings strategic percussion to a very soulful landscape with a hypnotic riff. “Strangers”, one of the album highlights, then recruits a darker approach, as the tune builds into a stirring and haunting adventure with precise synth.
Closer to the end, the strings of “The Last Word” bring an orchestral slant to a fuller, playful version of pop, and “Lighthouse” exits the listen in ballad territory, with keys alongside the breathy, pretty singing that borders on gospel.
If legends like Nick Cave, Cat Power and Sharon Van Etten mean anything to you, Fountain’s stirring brand of song craft will certainly resonate well, as she makes it easy to understand why she’s won Best Country Album and Best Folk Album in her home country of New Zealand. It will be no surprise to anyone if she sees just as much praise for this masterpiece, too.
Travels well with: Agnes Obel- Myopia; Vanessa Peters- Foxhole Prayers