Cate Le Bon - Are You With Me Now?
Little emptinesses abound on Cate Le Bon’s 2013 album Mug Museum: the emptiness of loss; the emptiness of memories; the emptiness of musical arrangements that less bold artists might be tempted to fill with strings, trills and embellishments. On Are You With Me Now? the result is a succession of staccato phrases, very subtly separated, so that each small section of melody gets its own space to play in. Combined, and added to Le Bon’s distinctive vocals, they make a beautiful whole.