Bruise
Album: In Animal Character
Label: Popla Disque
Tracks: 10
Website: http://bruiseuk.com/

As a species, us humans like to compartmentalise most aspects of our lives & music is no exception. The trouble is, by putting things into little boxes and sticking with what we know, we often deny ourselves access to gems like Bruise's latest offering.

As befits a duo who are folk club regulars and have toured with Hawkwind, husband and wife duo Isobel and Jim Kimberley have given us an album that defies easy classification. Veering from folk through pop to prog rock. In Animal Character is an eclectic, intelligent and articulate collection of songs which demands your full attention to fully comprehend the depth of their lyrics.

One of the first things that strikes you is the clarity of Isobel's voice, at times reminiscent of Kate Rusby, at others Annie Lennox and Joni Mitchell. The poetic simplicity of the writing conjurers up some marvelous images which emphasises the quality of the lyrics and of the production as a whole.There is a wide variation in instrumentation, time signature and tempo of the album incorporating some rhythms that would not be out of place in a world music section.

In Animal Character consists of nine original songs ranging in style from I Am A Dancer, which is possibly the folkiest track on the album and wouldn't sound out of place on an early Fairport Convention release, through to Bleed Me White, which is very reminiscent of Massive Attack.

Even though there really isn't a weak track on the album, two songs really stand out for me. First is the opener, Dreamland, which tells the story of a woman living in a declining seaside holiday town, not quite fitting in, & the dilemma faced in deciding whether to stay & hope for better times or to move on in search of a better life. Secondly is a song about romantic passion. My Favourite Hurricane is the track on the album that rocks out most, complete with distorted guitars, but even then it doesn't go much above 7. Having said that, there is something compelling about the song and { have found myself repeatedly returning to it since first listening to the album.

In Animal Character is an album well worth investigating. It improves with repeated listening with new layers being revealed with each new listen. Bruise's music may not be easily classified but, to me, that is one of their strengths and on the basis of this release they should be better known than they are.

David Chamberlain