Album Review: Odetta Hartman, Swansongs

A classically trained violinist with a penchant for back-porch banjo, Odetta Hartman is a fascinating character. Her second LP, Swansongs, is a stylistic smorgasbord that might leave fans of her first record perplexed.

While Hartman is already lauded as an intrepid genre traverser, Swansongs takes her spirit of exploration to new heights, as can be heard on Grimes-goes-folk lead single ‘Goldilocks’.  The track is at times too busy, but the guitar riffs are killer and the vocals ethereal with a healthy dose of distortion.

There are also breathtaking bookends in the form of opener ‘Rise Above’ and the spectacular closer ‘Ode 222 You’. In between, Swansongs consciously meanders, taking in a wild range of influences, from acid-rock on ‘Mother And Child’ to Regina Spektor-esque indie pop on the catchy ‘Winter Constellations’.

Hartman co-produced the album with Alex Friedman and Wyatt Bertz via remote collaboration, conjuring busy soundscapes that veer from electronic to stripped back acoustic and everywhere in between. At its best, the atmospheric electro-folk of Swansongs is a delight.

7/10