Smoke Fairies - Smoke Fairies (2014)

Smoke Fairies' outstanding new album, the eponymously titled Smoke Fairies, shows the band in top form, combining their classic approach whilst exploring new forms of musical expression but it is an album that they nearly didn't make. There was a moment after the release of Smoke Fairies last album (Blood Speaks, 2012) when Jessica Davies turned to musical partner Katherine Blamire and told her she was no longer sure whether Smoke Fairies should continue. For Smoke Fairies the suggestion of not playing music together would potentially impact more than just their band - theirs was a friendship forged by music, by a shared ambition that had carried them from their schooldays and on to songwriting and performing together. The result is a remarkable set of songs, notable not only for their strength and robustness, but also a sense of experimentation. The sheer liberation Blamire and Davies felt at using synths for the first time is evident in tracks such as the irresistible 'Your Own Silent Movi' and the beautifully compelling 'Drinks and Dancing'. Davies and Blamire's sublime voices still stand to the fore, and tracks like 'Want It Forever' are lined with a deliciously bluesy skuzzy-ness. This may not be the sort of album you ever expected Smoke Fairies to make, but it is an extraordinary record - bracing, sensual and defiant - and one that promises an exciting musical future.