Songwriting as we dream of it happening (and as maybe it should be) is a natural activity like breathing or eating. The songwriter arrives home after a day living, sits back on a porch chair and is influenced by fresh air, lightning, space gas, opium, Jesus, or tea, to write a song in the time it takes to croon it. This is not what usually happens, but Katell Keineg’s new record makes me believe that maybe for some people it’s the reality.
At The Mermaid Parade is just so loosely and effortlessly easy to listen to. Her strong, unaffected voice wraps itself casually around just the right strum, stray guitar licks, supporting piano lines and occasional accordions, and makes all other possible arrangements seem ridiculous. The melodies are deceptively simple, the lyrics are conversational, the arrangements rough and folky, and each song seems to last just as long as it needs to (‘Old Friend’, a sad reflection on a dead friend comes in at a minute and a half, while ‘Summer Loving Song’ lazily recounts the tipsy activities of a summer afternoon over many, many verses).
It’s a matter of individuality really. Keineg has always found a way of expressing her own unique self in her song-writing. Being yourself is more difficult than it sounds when it comes to music (never mind in everyday life) and so lots of songwriters end up expressing Bob Dylan (or Tom Waits or Nick Cave)’s unique self by accident. Not Keineg. And her individuality rings out so strongly on this record, that the songwriters who hear it will probably soon be expressing her unique self as well.