Hard to categorise and near-impossible to describe on paper, but very easy to enjoy: that just about sums up what is a very fine debut from the charmingly-monikered Henrietta Game. The Dublin-based four-piece purvey an effervescent stew of folk, jazz and classically-tinted alt. indie that makes superb use of unconventional instrumentation and truly dazzling vocals. It’s the songs and performances that really impress on this outstanding record – which, incidentally, is produced by Tommy McLaughlin of Villagers fame.
The recent single, ‘Sleep Then’ with its urgent pacing, manically-plucked strings and multi-part harmonies comes across like a demented re-write of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’. ‘Rain Drenched Strings’ and ‘Berlin’ boast almost acrobatic vocal arrangements which must have taken an age in the rehearsal studios to work out so exquisitely, while the plaintive, ‘Running Out Of Time‘ – with a gorgeous string arrangement and even more sublime male/female harmonies – showcases the band’s mellower side. The slightly unsettling, ‘I Paint Things Of Beauty’ boasts a post punk aesthetic and wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a Cocteau Twins album, while yet another highlight, the anthemic ‘Last Thing’, is driven by acoustic guitars voices and a meandering glockenspiel melody.
Black Ship is a string-driven thing of rare beauty.