Gemma Ray - Island Fire (2012) – 7.6 / 10.0Release Date: May 29, 2012
Running Time: 48:22
Label: Bronze Rat Records
Genre: Indie Pop, Alternative Singer-Songwriter
Key Tracks:
"Trou De Loup"
"Flood And A Fire"
"Eaten By The Monster of Love"
The early naughts had their share of retro-soul and R&B acts, but British songstress Gemma Ray immediately appeared to have something different to say. Reaching back to pre-Beatles rock for inspiration -- but tossing in a jumble of influences as disparate as Tom Waits, Kate Bush, film scores, flamenco, and the sparkly indie pop of the '90s -- Ray sculpted a sound that was familiar and warm, but also appealingly off-kilter and full of noir-ish touches that were part homage, part pastiche. Gemma released her first album, The Leader, in early 2008. The record resulted in much fanfare from the British critical press, but failed to give Ray the mainstream crossover success of contemporaries like Amy Winehouse. Now with her fourth LP, Island Fire, Gemma is at it again. And why not? On this record Ray comes off like Lily Allen with more class/taste, or Zooey Deschanel with more talent. Take from that last sentence what you will.
On the indie scene, the archetype of the Phil Spector-era doo-wop group aesthetic has become nearly synonymous with female lead singers. In my opinion, the problem with that has become the introduction of nearly aimless space into the recordings that tends to leave the records sounding samey and boring. Gemma's new record sets her apart almost from the gate. She still plays with a lot of those same 60s sounds, but is a bit more true to the pop structure, meaning she has no fear of hooks and knows when to move the song forward. So, the big chamber sounds of album opener "Alight! Alive!" make her something more akin to AC Newman than La Sera. When Ray does introduce some space into the songs, she does it without losing the narrative build of the song. This makes for some of the absolute highlights of the record, like "Flood And A Fire" or the AA Bondy-esque "I Can See You". All of this is highlighted by some breathtaking arrangements throughout the record. The brass interlude on "Trou De Loup" is enough to make one fall from their chair.
So, we know pretty well what we are getting into here. This is some very nice, but mostly placed girlie pop, right? Well, not exactly. There are moments on Island Fire that lead me to believe Gemma Ray is much more interesting than any of that. "Fire House" builds more like a My Brightest Diamond song than anything, pointing to Ray's focus on composition. And while the anthemic film score track "Bring Ring Ring Yeah" is maybe the oddest song I've ever heard about a phone call, there is nothing more out there than Island Fire's closing two tracks. "How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall?" was originally penned by the fantastically off west coast glam band Sparks. Gemma puts a shine on the song that wasn't there before, almost translating it into a club song. Then there is "Eaten By The Monster of Love". Wow, is this song the bee's knees. Furthering my belief that Gemma is a composer at heart, "Eaten" is 3:45 of epically weird. We're talking Laurie Anderson weird. I'm still not convinced the backing vocals aren't performed by the Muppets. Yet, the song is also perfect. It's builds for a great finish to a great album. I'd like to see Gemma spend an entire album in this world.
Altogether, Gemma Ray's Island Fire is a great listen. There are moments of the record where I wish Gemma would emote with her voice a bit more, if only to match the beautiful and large arrangements behind her. But, those arrangements alone are enough to prefer this music over the majority of what she is compared to. Gemma has an interesting turn with lyric-writing, an in-depth skill in storyteller songwriting, and a willingness to leave her comfort zone on a whim. There is absolutely nothing there that shouldn't be rewarded with a few of our hard earned dollars. This is a buy.
Purchase Gemma Ray's Island Fire
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