London-based singer-songwriter Gabi Garbutt and her band The Illuminations – Ollie Jones (drums), Jimi Scandal (guitar), Dan Fatel (bass), and Ted Mitchell (keys, sax) – are back with their sophomore full-length Cockerel. It has ten beautiful and diverse songs – file under “soulful indie folk with a punk edge” – in which the poetic lyrics and sincere vocals are central, which come into their own thanks to the convincing work of the skilled musicians. One minute the sound is orchestral, then you hear a guitar solo that is impossible to escape from, the next moment a saxophone grabs your attention, the next moment there’s a fragile piano that emphasizes the story, and so on, and it all works well. What’s happening here is special in every way, a triumph.
Cockerel is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Trapped Animal Records.
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