Scout Niblett
The Calcination of Scout Niblett
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Label: Drag City
The word “harrowing” doesn’t usually come springing to mind as a compliment — much less a recommendation — when it comes to new records. However, one listen to The Calcination of Scout Niblett and you’ll understand that it’s high praise.
Niblett’s beautifully brutal music earns frequent comparisons to fellow chick-noir artists PJ Harvey and Cat Power. No one’s going to mistake any of the three for Miley Cyrus, but there’s more damage and terror — and more incorporation of distortion and impressionism — to what Niblett’s creating. It’s middle of the night music: both surreal and hyper-real, blurring the line between victim and victor.
From the beginning notes of album opener, “Just Do It,” Niblett pulls the gloves off and gets down to the business of pulling no punches. Steve Albini may have brutalized PJ Harvey’s sense of melody on Rid of Me, but Niblett exhibits a far more feral spirit. “The voices said just do it/ And think I agree,” she snarls alongside muted/distorted guitar. “Because someone’s gotta do it/ And it might as well be me.”
From the get-go, it’s clear that Niblett is a dexterous assassin; the lady has fangs, not to mention a wicked way of wielding her guitar like a weapon. She also has a truly gorgeous voice and a devastating sense of dynamics. What’s truly dangerous is her ability to draw listeners in close before destroying them. “I throw thunderbolts with the best of them/ I sure like to show off my incisors,” she croons on “I.B.D.,” whose lyrics might look unwieldy on paper, yet are hair-raising on record, especially combined with a pristine voice and calculated sense of volume that keeps the listener on constant edge.
All-out brutality would be boring, and that’s why The Calcination of Scout Niblett excels. Niblett is a master of dynamics, using nothing but her expressive voice, guitar and drums to take her listeners on a journey through a constantly evolving emotional landscape. One minute she’s vulnerable, the instruments almost non-existent, and during the next, she’s a powerhouse surrounded by fuzzed-out distortion and primal drums.
Check out “Cherry Creek Bomb” and “Duke of Anxiety” as two prime examples of her agile touch. And be warned — this is an album that takes repeated listens to fully sink in. One spin and it seems a bit daunting and impenetrable. Give it time and not only will it grow on you — it will seep into your bones and haunt you, in the best possible way.
by Barbara Mitchell
