However tempting it might be to cite artists such as Elizabeth Fraser and Tracey Thorn as reference points when speaking of March, Starlings & Crows—not for the first time—shows she’s staked out her own artistic place. No one sounds quite like her, either vocally or musically.
The eleven tracks of “Starlings & Crows” are the result of an immediate and very sophisticated elaboration process, which derives from the comparison with places and personal memories, filtered by an approach of enchanted candor, faithfully reflected by soft synthetic stratifications, marked by occasional pulses and fragile watermarks of notes. The delicacy and apparent vulnerability that transpire from the work are paired with the clear awareness of Chloë March in her vivid dream-pop emissions, arising from an undoubtedly personal dimension but calmly aimed at universal emotional spaces.
Like all her best songs, it has an otherworldly quality with swirling synths and Chloë’s fantastic alto voice delivering a melody that cuts my emotions to ribbons. I duly chose it to be my Vanishing Point track on Ming & Jon’s Monday Night Ride Out show on Exile FM. Opinion from all those who commented was unanimous on the song’s unique beauty.
March’s delicate alto glides through the minor modulations of the song effortlessly as she sings of longing for a loved one, of falling into a place of memory and imagination. There is a subtle menace implicit in some of March’s lyrics which counterbalances the beauty of their delivery. Hardly a new girl on the block, the upcoming album will be her fifth in a career spanning 16 years. While we await the full album, an investment in the back catalogue of this gifted, independently-driven artiste is highly recommended.