Kathryn Williams – Crown Electric (2013)

Kathryn Williams is one of those artists that I found largely by accident. I don't know if I first heard her music in a Spotify playlist, recommended by a record shop, or just doing research for one of my blogs, but I remember that her music made an impression on me. She makes singer-songwriter style folk music with interesting melancholic melodies. I don't know what it is, but I have difficulties in recognising her sound if I don't know what I'm listening to. Pretty much always if I'm listening to my iPod on shuffle and I hear beautiful female folk artist play her songs but I don't know what I'm listening to, it's Kathryn Williams. In a way that's a bit negative as it means she's not that recognisable, but on the other hand, she has been able to make very different sounding music that's all very interesting. At least enough, to make me dig out my iPod and check who's singing.



Crown Electric is pretty much the only album I've listened to from Kathryn Williams. I think I found it cheap in a local record shop and bought it as I remembered that it was good from Spotify. I think I need to spend some time listening to her other albums as well, as I'm very much enjoying these sounds just now. Especially when the autumn comes, this kind of melancholic folk is highly appropriate. The name of the album refers to the company Elvis Presley worked for before his musical career.

The album starts with a summery and almost happy sounding bright folk song Underground. The verse and chorus have very different type of intensity, which tells positive things about Williams as a songwriter. Gave It Away shows the more usual side of Williams. The melancholic song has some beautiful string arrangements and especially the chorus is quite magnificent. Heart Shaped Stone has bigger sounds than the first two songs. This sounds like a song that could play on the radio. Count has some amazing heavy double bass lines that give a nice jazzy groove to the song. The string arrangements are innovative. Out of Time has a very intimate feel to it. It kind of sounds like Norah Jones. Monday Morning has a very typical singer-songwriter style and it does sound like many other indie folk artists I listen to, such as Aimee Mann or Laura Marling. Darkness Light has a great melancholic melody, but the sounds leave it a bit bland. With a bit more effort, this could be made into a fantastic song. Picture Book is a very intimate and quiet song that reminds me of 70's folk musicians, such as Joni Mitchell. Morning Twilight is one of the most beautiful songs on the album. The simple piano and the melancholic vocal melodies together with cellos make it genuinely hauntingly beautiful experience. Arwen is a masterful example of Williams' songwriting capabilities. The song doesn't need anything else than picked acoustic guitar, simple cello and her voice to make it absolutely beautiful. Tequila has some jazzier notes again and some groovy soulful rhythms in otherwise quite acoustic song. Sequins is almost like a Disney song but without too much syrup. The album ends with The Known, which has some great intimate echos and a mood that's fitting for a cellar club gig.

I don't think I've ever seen a Kathryn Williams music video before now. I managed to find the video for Monday Morning first. The video features Williams who wakes up in the morning and goes to work in a parrot costume advertising something. Her signs point out the realities of these kinds of people in their jobs, where no-one pays any attention to them and tries to avoid eye contact. The video is quite cheaply made, but it has a nice idea and I always like to see the London tube in music videos.

I don't think there's enough special qualities in Williams' music to make her one of my favourites, but on the other hand, there's really nothing wrong with her music either. It all sounds really great and I do like listening to her for example when I'm cooking in the kitchen or while working.

Listen to the album on Spotify.