My Finger Tips Are Holding Onto The Cracks In Our Foundation (Made Of Bricks - Kate Nash)

Name: Andy.mack

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Product:	Made Of Bricks - Kate Nash
Date:	15.09.07 (625 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A decent Pop debut album, some very catchy tracks

Disadvantages: Still room for improvement once she gets a bit of life experience

It would seem that the new way to launch your career really is through the medium of the internet. At the moment the music scene seems to be undergoing a growing wave of artists launching themselves on Myspace. One of the latest is Harrow’s singer songwriter Kate Nash. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Lilly Allen, she uploaded a few tracks to myspace and from there was signed to a record label and has even been described by Allen as the next big thing. The 20 year old has really come from nowhere to take the singles and album charts by storm and it was her second single “Foundations” that convinced me to buy this album.

I wasn’t really too sure what to expect from the album on the whole and although I did really like the second single it took me a while to actually put my hand in my pocket and buy it. One of the things that is clear from her sound is that she draws her influences from all sorts of different music genre’s. In fact her myspace page reads like a whose who of Indie, rock and pop under her influences section. Her musical sound is quite an eclectic mix and it’s clear that even at the tender age of 20, Nash is a big fan of music and has really been inspired by some great artists including Billy Bragg, The Buzzcocks and Jurassic 5.

With a lot of different influences it’s hard to really say which musical genre she actually falls into and in fact it’s hard to pigeon hole her album. In fact this is a good thing as while the album has its base in pop music, there are defiantly hints of classic British Indie and rock glimpsing through. Of course Nash’s arrival on the British scene seems to have coincided with a number of other singer songwriters, with both Newton Faulkner and Amy McDonald competing for the crown of Britain’s favourite. While I’m yet to acquire the other two contender’s albums I have to say that Nash has certainly put up a good case here.

While the album itself isn’t the perfect pop record it is certainly a valiant debut and something that Nash should be very proud of. Each track has its own unique sound and while that means the album takes a bit of time to get into it adds a good bit of variety to her music. The sound is quite retro on a lot of tracks and the guitar really leads the way in creating a good grounding on each song. The drums provide a nice backing to the guitars and give a sense of direction and purpose. The piano combines well with the guitars and the resulting sound is a really good basis for Nash to build herself what could be a very successful career from.

It isn’t lyrically the best it could have been but again Nash gives a good account of herself. A lot of the album is written as if she’s having a conversation with someone, perhaps a boyfriend or an ex and it gives her lyrics a bit of passion. Her vocals are incredible strong and really accentuate her lyrics and add to her sound. While the lyrics perhaps lack a touch of maturity, not surprising really, she definitely has a talent for song writing and the more she tours and gains a bit of life experience I think her future albums will be continually getting better.

Obviously I bought the album on the strength of the second single “Foundations”. It’s a nice poppy song that although is about keeping a relationship together has quite a good feeling about it. The poppy piano introduction really sets a nice tone to the track. Her vocals are quite fast paced but not drawn and that is something that’s consistent throughout the album. The other track that really grabbed my attention was the very slow and mellow “Birds”. It has a nice slow start that feels quite relaxed and soothing.

Her vocals are much slower than on a lot of the album and that really contributes to the more relaxed feel to “Birds”. The guitars really compliment her vocals nicely and give the track a good feeling. There are a lot of other good tracks on the album and while there aren’t any that particularly stand out there aren’t any that don’t work the album is very much a grower and it will take it’s time before it really fills it’s potential. When it does though it’s easy to see why Kate is so highly rated and really convinces you that there is a lot more to come from this young lady.

Overall this is quite a decent debut album. It has a little something for everyone with a good mixture of pop and Indie music it combines the genres very well. If you like Lilly Allen and Amy McDonald I think it’s fair to say that Kate Nash will fit nicely into your musical musings. There is room for improvement but that will come with age for Ms Nash and I certainly look forward to more from her. It is an album that is worth buying, particularly if you like her singles.

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Summary: Debut album from Harrow's Kate Nash