(2015) Holly Lerski - The Wooden House
Review:
Norfolk-based singer/songwriter Holly Lerski’s new album The Wooden House is a true DIY affair: written, performed and recorded on a minimum of equipment by Holly at her home studio, or ‘shed’, to give it its technical term (with a little help from friends James ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson on bass and producer/mixer Stu Hanna (Megson), this self- released collection of ten songs is possessed of a lightness of touch and an airy, spacious sound which make for an appealing and enjoyable listen.
The songs are well-structured and supported, not overwhelmed, by either their arrangements or the production – but the real star of the show is Holly’s voice: she has a clear, rounded range which is perfectly suited to her indie-folk material.
The ukelele-driven Inkblot gets things off to a good start: lyrically, it’s a sad song for a lost love, bolstered by a sense of putting a brave face on things even though your heart is breaking. The “carry on regardless” subtext is reinforced by a quiet, almost bittersweet musical arrangement, through which Holly’s multi-tracked harmony vocals shine as bright as uncried tears.
The album’s title track Wooden House has a sweet, wistful feel and a hint of an Americana influence. James ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson adds some well-placed yet unobtrusive bass to counterpoint Holly’s banjo. It’s a highlight of the album, not least for its chorus, which is an insidiously hooky thing that you’ll find yourself humming for hours. All in all this is a song with massive potential for – if you’ll excuse my lapse into DJ Smashy and Nicey territory – heavy rotation in nationwide drivetime radio slots.
Holly’s knack for catchy hooks again comes to the fore in Building You The Ark, particularly with the perfectly-placed multi-tracked call-and-response harmonies in the song’s closing section. A syncopated acoustic guitar and quietly pattering rhythm section keep the song moving while its lyric of reassurance is tantalisingly ambiguous: “I’m building you the ark, you’ll be all right”, she sings – but to herself or to another?
Review
Rating
Tracklist:
01. Inkblot.flac
02. Wooden House.flac
03. Building You the Ark.flac
04. Come Sit Down.flac
05. Oh Atoms, Oh Molecules.flac
06. Magpie.flac
07. Happy Sad.flac
08. Show and Tell.flac
09. Pudding Pie.flac
10. Homespun.flac
Summary:
Country: UK
Genre: Indie-Folk
Media Report:
Source : CD
Format : FLAC
Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : ~751-933 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits