Electro-Magnetic Blues

No, it’s not a really crap band name. Paul really is a girl in this instance. It is an apt enough moniker when you hear the frankly odd freak show cabaret contents of Electro-Magnetic Blues. It’s a bit like a female Bad Seed jamming with Gallon Drunk, The Dirty Three, half a jazz band and a busker who isn’t exactly sure what they’re doing or why they’re there.

The results are mixed, sometimes marvellous, (‘V Sign’, ‘Tea In Autumn’) but frequently rather dull and unfocused. Having said that, it takes a couple of listens to get one’s head around this bewildering artist and her strange and often foreboding voice. A native of Macclesfield who moved to South London, Paul once auditioned for Gary Barlow, which sounds like a surreal episode to say the least. The two albums on Arista that followed made little impact, hence Paul is on an indie and making much more uncompromising music.

The experimental arrangements can be fascinating, and the songs themselves are strong, but a really monotonous tone and texture really begins to grate after a while. But what doesn’t work on record could well be a treat and a half live, as this sounds custom written for smoky basements and atmospheric kips.