Wallis Bird - Architect

Would you be surprised if I told you that Wallis Bird’s fourth album is both eclectic and highly adventurous. In truth, it should come as no surprise, given the footloose, bohemian life that has seen the Wexford artist move freely between the sunny south-east, Dublin, London and Berlin. At heart, she is a free spirit and a musical maverick.

She is also a seriously intense performer. Navigating the sonic twists and turns on Architect makes for a challenging listen. But there are rich rewards, starting with the hypnotic beats, electro loops and feisty vocals of opener (and current single) ‘Hardly Hardly’ and the jangly, indie rock of ‘Daze’. Elsewhere, ‘I Can Be Your Man’ channels Prince (circa Sign ‘o’ the Times) while ‘Gloria’ leans towards Giorgio Moroder. Sombre and a tad unsettling, ‘Holding A Light’ marries haunted vocals and a melancholy melody to lush string textures; in complete contrast, ‘Communion’ is
more traditional, angular rock. Scratchy acoustic rhythms and what sounds like a sample of an owl in full midnight voice underpin the quirky ‘Girls’ and stripped-down acoustic closer, ‘River of Paper’ finds her in quiet mode again with typically contemplative lyrics (“Oh that I could swim in the seas of your intelligence.”)

Not anyone’s definition of easy listening – but the effort ultimately pays off.