Made Of Bricks

2007年発表。myspaceで話題を呼んだ女性シンガー・ソングライター、ケイト・ナッシュのデビュー・アルバム。チャーミングなピアノの伴奏を全面にフィーチャーし、ギターやハンドクラップ、打ち込みなどで味付けが施された、手作り感溢れるキュートなポップ・ソング集。プロデューサーはブロック・パーティーなどを手掛けるポール・エプワース。ほどよくハスキーな歌声とポップでリズミカルなアコースティック・サウンド、さらには等身大の日常を綴った詞が印象的な作品。

Rolling Stone (p.66) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "BRICKS is the sound of an eager kid making unconventional pop that works..." Spin (p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Nash's bluntness and attention to detail make for a good spectacle....Nash has made the kind of vivid, wonderfully direct album that could only come from a beginner." Spin (p.48) - Ranked #23 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "Kate Nash spray paints vivid sketches of young London....A startling debut..." Entertainment Weekly (p.71) - "[H]er lilting alto and quirky sensibility are ultimately winning." -- Grade: B Q (Magazine) (p.72) - Ranked #47 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2007" -- "[W]ith solid-gold songs, a heartwarming homespun philosophy and a denouncement of all of fame's fripperies..."

On a first listen to Kate Nash's debut Made of Bricks, it's easy to hear the similarities to her contemporaries (Lily Allen, the Streets, Amy Winehouse) and influences (Bjork, Robbie Williams). Her most popular songs are both intimate and confrontational, using brief portraits and slang-conversational vocals to illustrate the larger issues going on -- the dinner party that exposes a crumbling relationship on "Foundations" or the futility of using "Mouthwash" as a defense against feelings of low self-worth. The music is explosive and sample-driven, but with plenty of ties to contemporary pop, such as the frequent piano runs and occasional chamber brass or woodwinds. Spend time with this album, however, and Nash is revealed as much more than the sum of her parts. First, she's an excellent songwriter who illustrates her tales of romantic woe and inadequacies with grace and many subtleties. (It's easy to see why Allen saw Nash not as a rival but a fellow artist, and how the two quickly became friends.) Nash's frequent sing-speak vocals and rather, erm, direct manner on some songs ("Dickhead," "Shit Song") are what most naysayers immediately point to, but her quiet rage on the former track is tremendously effective. Still, what impresses the most about Made of Bricks are her deft sketches of deteriorating relationships, whether they're being loudly destroyed ("Foundations" again) or wryly and tenderly closing ("Birds"). Nash has plenty of maturation to do as a songwriter and performer, but she shows considerable promise on this debut. ~ John Bush

ファイストやキャット・パワーを初めて聴いた時の煌めきの衝撃がふたたび!　UK発のシンガー・ソングライター、ケイト・ナッシュのデビュー作が登場です。20歳ならではの視点で描かれるユニークな歌詞や茶目っ気たっぷりのリズミカルなピアノ伴奏、ポップなメロディーに乗せたハスキーで大らかな歌声は女の子の繊細な心情風景を細部まで浮かび上がらせる代物。あのリリー・アレンも絶賛ときたら聴くっきゃないよ!
bounce (C)竹内 幹代