The third effort from ‘pop noir’ songstress Gemma Ray, Island Fire is an engrossing affair. An EP rather than a full-length album, it jumps frequently between genres. Named for the 2010 Icelandic volcanic eruption that stranded Ray in Sydney, is a jarring assemblage of crunching, guitar-shredding rock hooks, hazy, orchestral choruses, catchy dream-pop lyrics – and more besides.
You can’t pin the UK singer down to one style. There’s the melodic ‘Runaway’, with its lush, penetrating chorus; the moody and seductive ‘Trou de Loup’, which has Ray verging on cabaret; and the intimate and unsettling ‘Fire House’, the heart-wrenching lyrics of which are mildly disconcerting. All told, Island Fire runs the gamut from ‘60s psychedelic pop to lavish funeral processionals to blurred indie pop. The two bonus tracks, ‘How Do I Get to Carnegie Hall?’ and ‘Eaten By The Monster Of Love’ only add to the perplexing nature of the record: the tracks are recordings of Sparks covering Gemma Ray covering Sparks, with Ray singing along.
The verdict: Ray has crafted a formidable, if fragmented, record full of grandiose surprises.