On her fifth album
Reward (2019), British artist Cate Le Bon found a rewardingly distinct sound. On it, the bouncy guitar-indie of previous albums made way for sophisticated frameworks of electronics, guitars and baritone saxophone as a backdrop for Le Bon's theatrical vocals. A stunning and justifiably successful album, which perhaps makes Pompeii a difficult follow-up in advance. Chained by lockdown
… to her Cardiff hometown, this time she took inspiration from Japanese electro and the art rock of David Bowie. This led to an album with, once again, a sound as transparent as it is solemn and arty. At the same time, this time she doesn't seem to be moving forward in songs that almost all have the same dragging four-quarter rhythm and drift along in little adventure. Her vocals also sound uniform and sometimes almost whiny. Only towards the end, in the single Remembering Me, does the grandeur of Reward return somewhat and you spring to your feet as a listener, after having dozed off for a while. Of necessity she played almost all instruments herself and her band members sent in their parts. Perhaps she lacked reflection on this disappointing successor to Reward. (MR)more