Album Review: Reverieme – Straw Woman

Reverieme is a project that has taken on various formations since it was founded in 2005. Currently an intimate solo project, Reverieme is essentially the alter ego of school teacher Louise Connell. Boasting an unique way with words and a distinctive understated presence, her latest album Straw Woman is the end result of a successful Pledge campaign in the wake of her 2015 acoustic EP Or Else The Light.

Unsurprisingly for an artist who has toured with Emmy The Great and Gotye, Reverieme’s lastest release is an intelligent slice of quirky folk that has a compelling pop sensibility. A storyteller to the core, the real appeal in Straw Woman lies in the curious approach to lyrical honesty. Presented as a Jekyll & Hyde character in the album’s artwork, the album itself showcases an artist who is fighting against the mainstream need for classification. Although it is fully cohesive and comprehensive, Straw Woman is an album that fights against itself during it’s journey.

Although initially it is the delicate cuts that shine the brightest, from the enchanting Fairy Stories to the sparkly Venues, it is actually the rockier cuts that make the longest lasting impression. While the Nick Drake drive of Everyone Else makes a big impact, it is the rocky Nocturnal Babe that steals the show.

With an air of Tanya Donnelly meets Deana Carter, there is a country twang to the collection that could see Reverieme shine on an array of sync placements, which could in the long-term take this anti-mainstream artist into the hearts and homes of the mainstream music fan.