hunt down jesca hoop’s new album

As an ex-Mormon former childminder for Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, Jesca Hoop can claim to have one of the most unusual backgrounds in contemporary music. And, as her second album Hunting My Dress so beautifully attests, she can also claim to have one of the most striking voices in the same field. Released on November 30, it’s her first full-length release in the UK and looks set to capitalise on the wave of buzz she’s still riding on the back of last November’s well received Kismet Acoustic EP and some jaw-dropping live shows.

The nine-track album was recorded with producer Tony Berg at his Zeitgeist studio in Los Angeles during snatched hours of generosity and is infused with a sense of adventure. “My aim was to produce as much energy and force with as little sonic information as possible. Layers can be a rather complicated recipe. Less is more was our motto,” says Jesca. “I applied as little as possible to each track and was highly protective over the voice and the story it relays. Anything is worth trying and nothing is too precious to mute.”

One of the key tracks on the album is a re-recording of the Kismet Acoustic EP standout ‘Murder Of Birds’, this time featuring backing vocals from Elbow’s Guy Garvey, with whom Jesca has been touring extensively over the past 18 months. But the real centrepiece of the album has to be ‘Angel Mom’, a heart-melting tribute to her late mother.

You can hear both of these songs and two others from the album over on Myspace at the mo. An official album launch gig will take place on December 1 at London venue The Slaughtered Lamb, with further dates soon to be confirmed.

Tracklist:
01 Whispering Light
02 The Kingdom
03 Four Dreams
04 Angel Mom
05 Feast Of The Heart
06 Murder Of Birds
07 Bed Across The Sea
08 Tulip
09 Hunting My Dress

Written by: Alan Pedder

Tags: hunting my dress, jesca hoop

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