SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CATE KENNAN – SHADOWS

CATE KENNAN
SHADOWS
KRANKY

Working in that not so defined musical ground between ethereal and dream pop can be a tricky affair, as it is currently populated by quite a few artists, and any relative newcomer is bound to be compared to somebody else.

And sure, on her second album Shadows, Los Angeles songwriter and singer (in that order) Cate Kennan can initially come over as a kind of a cross between late Julee Cruise and Hope Sandoval.

Yet, when you listen beyond those comparisons (and after all, they are great ones), you run into some quite defined and detailed songwriting and even more impressive arranging skills that bring in some subtle elements that make Kennan’s music stand up on its own merits.

Yes, it is a sort of a late-night mood music that fully deserves the album title, and Kennan gave it. And as you well know, shadows can be both light and dark, and Kennan deftly switches between the two with quite some ease.

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