After three LPs looking back at her childhood upbringing, now 44, the Welsh singer-songwriter Gwenno Saunders’ polished, candid experimental fourth pop album recalls a period of young adulthood, from dancer in Las Vegas to a pub cleaner and also singer in The Pipettes in London, having adventures, experimenting and struggling with self-determination. It’s a variously intimate, reflective, gently humorous and philosophical set of songs, mixing floor-fillers to piano ballads, often beguiling, and her first with the majority of lyrics in English, her previous LPs mostly in Welsh and Cornish. That said, the Welsh numbers Y Gath (meaning cat - and following its metaphorical adventures) and closer Hireth (homesickness) are two of her most alluring. There are contributions from Cate Le Bon (who appears on Y Gath but whose studied sound intimacy, stylistic influence is very palpable throughout) and H. Hawkline, with inspiration from the great William Blake, plus favourite Edrica Huws poem, and the east London’s number 73 bus.
Eager to find fame and fortune and glamour in showbusiness, Gwenno left school as teenager to take up a lead role in Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance show in Las Vegas. For two years, she lived in an apartment complex with her fellow performers. They were seven miles from the main strip and 40 teenagers with nothing much to do. There was a pool and a gym; drink, drugs, and plenty of eating disorders. “Then every Saturday we’d go to this techno club called Utopia and just get completely spangled until Monday, when we had to go back to work,” she says. After that all finished, she had chaotic, hedonistic times in London, as well as dancing in a Bollywood film, recorded two albums and performing with the vocal trio The Pipettes, partying hard in the capital, especially in Dalston, also working menial jobs, before finally returning to Cardiff. All this and more occurred before finally settling down and become a wife and mother. Serene opener London, 1757 traces the migratory channel between Wales and the English capital; the gentle 73 captures the surprise of learning of her family’s roots in Dalston; the woozy, dream-like St Ives New School is exploration of creativity and motherhood. Standout Dancing on Volcanoes conjures the wonder of nights out and relationships we forged along the way, spurred by a jangly Johnny Marr-style guitar riff. Overall another strong, mature, richly resonant and autobiographical release, reflecting on two decades of finding herself. A boundary-pushing artist, always keen to explore and change and review her origins and direction. Out on Heavenly Recordings.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Feel free to recommend more new songs and albums and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar X, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: