Rozi Plain
Inside Over Here
Fence Records
Words: Chris Hynd
Less is more...
Less is more...
Less is more...
It's always a little mantra I tell myself from time to time. There's no need for any extraneous things to be added to the mix, if you can do what you have to do and say what you have to say without any extra clutter then you're on the right track, for me at least. Bristol's Rozi Plain seems to be following that path. Her debut LP on Fence Records screams "less is more" and is all the more effective for it, especially when you consider the different instrumentation on show. "Let's Go" opens with a wheeze and a hiss, a single guitar and accordion play out a plaintive few notes and Rozi's voice says all it needs said. A statement of intent if you will, "let's go, let's go, let's go", this is how it's going to be and I'm pretty comfortable with it.
The record continues in a similar vein. "Stolen Shark" sees some lovely harmony vocals over a nice fuzz guitar groove, "Foot Out's" smoky clarinet and sax, while downbeat and mournful, complements Rozi's clipped vocal delivery while "Knives And Forks" mixes some neat little Sufjan-esque banjo into a poppy and melodic arrangement. Rozi and her companions on the record have certainly created a warm and welcoming sound and there's little touches here and there that add to the mix and lift it all out of the ordinary, the unexpected beats that kick in during "Barbs And Velcros", the brass and woodwind in the lolling "Roof Rook Crook Crow". And the little things matter, showing us that this is someone who cares about the details, who cares about what we are listening to. Not that others don't of course, but Rozi just seems to ensure it all matters.
And nothing matters more than "360ยบ", the extraordinary centrepiece of "Inside Over Here". A solitary guitar plucks away, Rozi's voice emotive and full of longing, an economic and sparse delivery but all the more powerful for it. Voice and guitar, that's all you need.
Less is more...
Less is more...
Less is more...
A remarkable song at the heart of a remarkable album, three minutes that would bring a tear to the proverbial gless 'e, I could listen to it on repeat for a long, long time (and believe me I have!). The record closes with "Fruit", and another simple yet effective arrangement, the layered vocals and beautiful guitar line and clarinet. Every note on the record is there because it should be there, everything is allowed to breathe and be natural and it all sounds wonderful. Elsewhere in this blog you can read yer man from Fence Records wax lyrical about it and I listened to him as he passionately extoled its virtues. I didn't know it then but he was absolutely right. This is a stunning listen, a stunning 40 minutes or so of music and hopefully Rozi Plain can continue to beguile and charm us in future.
The record continues in a similar vein. "Stolen Shark" sees some lovely harmony vocals over a nice fuzz guitar groove, "Foot Out's" smoky clarinet and sax, while downbeat and mournful, complements Rozi's clipped vocal delivery while "Knives And Forks" mixes some neat little Sufjan-esque banjo into a poppy and melodic arrangement. Rozi and her companions on the record have certainly created a warm and welcoming sound and there's little touches here and there that add to the mix and lift it all out of the ordinary, the unexpected beats that kick in during "Barbs And Velcros", the brass and woodwind in the lolling "Roof Rook Crook Crow". And the little things matter, showing us that this is someone who cares about the details, who cares about what we are listening to. Not that others don't of course, but Rozi just seems to ensure it all matters.
And nothing matters more than "360ยบ", the extraordinary centrepiece of "Inside Over Here". A solitary guitar plucks away, Rozi's voice emotive and full of longing, an economic and sparse delivery but all the more powerful for it. Voice and guitar, that's all you need.
Less is more...
Less is more...
Less is more...
A remarkable song at the heart of a remarkable album, three minutes that would bring a tear to the proverbial gless 'e, I could listen to it on repeat for a long, long time (and believe me I have!). The record closes with "Fruit", and another simple yet effective arrangement, the layered vocals and beautiful guitar line and clarinet. Every note on the record is there because it should be there, everything is allowed to breathe and be natural and it all sounds wonderful. Elsewhere in this blog you can read yer man from Fence Records wax lyrical about it and I listened to him as he passionately extoled its virtues. I didn't know it then but he was absolutely right. This is a stunning listen, a stunning 40 minutes or so of music and hopefully Rozi Plain can continue to beguile and charm us in future.
