THE ANCHORESS – Versions: Encore – review

THE ANCHORESS – Versions: Encore – review
Hiraeth

A chap knows where his when it comes to a record from Catherine Anne Davies aka The Anchoress. There will be sweeping, heartlong melodies and breathy yet stirring vocals. It’s why a chap comes back for more.

Safe to say that “Versions: Encore”, a six track EP, out on limited eco mix vinyl and CD more than maintains that fine tradition. Oh, and by limited I think it’s 500 vinyl and 1000 CD, so best get a shift on.

The strange thing about Ms Davies and her covers is that I generally hate the original versions. It’s the same here, with only ‘Wicked Game’ arousing any fond memories. And that’s largely because I saw Chris Isaak play the Queens Hall off the back of the model enhanced hit. There were perhaps 6 of us, out of a sold out crowd of 900 who knew that he was a barnstorming rock and roller who’d wandered into Roy Orbison ballad territory. His guitar solo up in the balcony was quite something.

Anyway, back to this. The thought of songs by Joy Division, Suede, The Smiths, Pearl Jam and Blur is the kind of nightmare vision that keeps my therapist in Tuscan holidays but in the hands of Ms Davies, the familiar melodies are transformed into something very special. I say familiar because only The Smiths tune, ‘Asleep’, turned out to be previously unheard. There’s plenty of synth work which will satisfy the purists but more than enough twists and turns in the arrangements to keep chaps who like The Anchoress from grumbling in our armchairs.

It’s a more than worthy successor to the “Versions” LP of last year which saw even more eighties indie pop tunes turned into something considerably more palatable. Highly recommended.

http://theanchoress.co.uk/