Heather Woods Broderick

Very special vinyl edition cut at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin, includes a bonus track and a hidden locked groove, together with new artwork. limited copies!* The sister of office favourite Peter Broderick, Heather Woods Broderick steps into the limelight with this hugely impressive solo debut. On 'From The Ground', Heather is ably assisted by her multi-talented sibling, who records, produces and contributes various instrumental elements to the songs. These two are regular collaborators, appearing together in both Efterklang's touring band and in Kill Rock Stars trio Horse Feathers, but it's here that Heather's songwriting receives the attention it deserves. Mixing beautiful post-folk ballads with moments of neo-classical ambience, From The Ground is a thing of tremendous sonic depth, but its success all boils down to the magic that happens when Heather picks up her acoustic guitar and sings: 'Cottonwood Bay' and 'Back Room' have a sublime, magical simplicity to them, and the piano-driven title track perfectly underlines the melodic astuteness of her compositional abilities. Through these pieces she sounds like a missing link between Cat Power and Hope Sandoval, but threaded in between are slightly more meandering, atmospheric outings like the dusky soundscaped epic 'For Misty' and the almost Satie-esque 'Left' - both of which are draped in Peter's always-exceptional string arrangements. From The Ground might just be one of the year's best debuts - one that establishes a considerable new talent, emerging from a family with no short supply of the stuff. Highly Recommended.