Staff Reviews

Rachel Zeffira - The Deserters

Review by Anna Byrne

Rachel Zeffira has meticulously crafted a musical style for herself.»

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rough trade exclusive with a 5 track bonus cd of seasonal songs. the debut release on raf records - rachel zeffira and faris badwan's own label. rachel zeffira's debut solo album 'the deserters' is both beautiful and beguiling - a gauzy, rapturous tour de force that mines both zeffira's classical training as well as the pop sensibilities she displayed as one half of cat's eyes. it might recall at times the baroque pop of john cale and the hazy experimentation of my bloody valentine, but at heart it's a largely unclassifiable record that stands defiantly alone and apart from its peers. the album grew from her first solo recordings - a wondrous cover of my bloody valentine's 'to here knows when' and the evocative 'waiting for sylvia' - which she sung, arranged and orchestrated in the summer of 2011. spurred on by the positive results - the music was greeted enthusiastically by everyone from pitchfork to nme - she began to piece together songs for 'the deserters' when time allowed and the results are a revelation. in an age where we rarely watch a youtube video without clicking out of the tab, rachel zeffira's album 'the deserters' is that rare thing: a record that stops you in your tracks and forces you to pay attention. it's another astonishing achievement by an increasingly remarkable artist.
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