Flip Grater - Be All And End All

Rating:

* * *

Folk music has undergone a resurgence in recent times, thanks to the charmingly quirky songs of Kimya Dawson, Cat Power and others. On the surface, Christchurch singer Flip Grater appears to follow in this wake, with her simple but captivating acoustic melodies. But she doesn't subscribe to the school of wide-eyed naifs. Her music is firmly planted in reality.

Throughout the record, it seems Grater is holding back. Every song has a sense of anticipation that it is building to something, only to retreat before it reaches its full denouement. Likewise, the whole record mirrors this pattern. From the simple guitar strum and girlish vocals of

Why Wait

, the record slowly unfolds, picking up pace and layering the sound. The piano rhythm of

An End

to It All

adds a touch of playfulness to the record, while

Room 304

brings bluesy grunt to the album.

The instantly appealing

I See Cold

, with its seductive Riviera cadence sees the record reach full bloom, before slowly retracting again, winding down to the stripped back, mournful closer

Kid

.

There's an easy charm to Grater, as heard on

I Thought I Was an Extrovert

and

Pat a Cake

, but you can't help but wish she would crank it up a notch.

Joanna Hunkin