Search - Scout Niblett :: Sweet Heart Fever

Scout Niblett's debut album, Sweet Heart Fever, gives the distinct impression that this singer-songwriter is older than her years but much younger than her sound (imagine PJ Harvey with the weight of history--not just of womanhood--on her small shoulders). Niblett's throaty voice is the main instrument in these songs, which describe identities real and imagined, love as an exorcism, and growing up in terms that fashion her as a Lolita figure to Harvey's painted-lady persona. The songs' spare arrangements, usually consisting of Niblett slowly plucking her guitar while Kristian Goddard counts along on the snare, create a backdrop that evokes Niblett's blues and folk precursors, while her sultry, warbling vocals recall those of Swedish singers Stina Nordenstam and Lisa Ekdahl. While stripped-down orchestration sounds like a recipe for coffee-shop-style background music, Niblett's aesthetic leans toward the creepy in such a way that her music becomes hard to ignore. This doesn't necessarily make it easy to embrace, but it will help you through the few songs it takes to recognize and appreciate Scout Niblett's eye for the perverse and her exceptional skill in creating a soundtrack to the uncanny moments in life. --Sarah A. Sternau