Aldous Harding - Train On The Island

There’s not much straightforward to Aldous Harding; an enigmatic presence and cryptic lyrics wrapped up in anything from alt-folk to a sort of psychedelic pop. And yet it is always compelling. ‘Train On The Island’ is no different, embracing Aldous’ chameleon-esque vocals that range from dark and heavy - and at times bordering on spoken word - to wilting, light and melodic, often across the same track. Take ‘One Stop’, built around multi-tracked vocal takes, or ‘What Am I Gonna Do?’ which seems to bask in its own vocal contrasts. Around her voice is a whole world of sparse guitars and piano, of which further listening reveals more complexities: see the slide guitars of ‘San Francisco’ or ‘Venus In The Zinnia’, which is about as close to ‘80s jangle pop as she’s ever likely to get. The result is a fuller sound than before and yet, in typical Aldous Harding fashion, one that takes a few listens to really discover. Her lyricism too is, as always, hard to pin down but ‘Train On The Island’ conjures up a thousand different images across each song, before brushing them all away a second later. The result is a beautiful album that offers out tantalising strands, begging to be put together. It may be an impossible task, but it’s one to revel in nonetheless.