Staff Reviews

Nadia Reid - Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs

Review by Haydon Spenceley

This is an album that will stay with you and live long in the memory»

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New Zealand's Nadia Reid has spent the better part of ten years writing music for her debut full-length album 'Listen To Formation, Look For The Signs'. It has all that well-smoked wisdom, that mingling of strength and yearning that seems to charge the work of all our favourite female artists - Laura Marling, The Weather Station, Sharon Van Etten and Tift Merritt, to name but four. Boldly infusing folk with full flavour, 'Listen To Formation, Look For The Signs' was produced by Ben Edwards, owner of Lyttelton Records in his Sitting Room studios with Nadia's band consisting bassist Richie Pickard, guitarist Sam Taylor and percussionist Joe McCallum. Whilst 'Reaching Through's rich but unhurried nature evokes 'She Hangs Brightly' -era Mazzy Star and intricate nuances of Beth Orton are recalled on lead single 'Call The Days' which talks of moving to a new town and was the first song penned after Nadia moved from Christchurch to Wellington; spurred on by a "panic attack" and being "worried about making the right choices in life". Elsewhere 'Runway' and 'Some Are Lucky' immediately channel Nadia's love of TBGT's Jolie Holland and appreciation for New Zealand's Maori music by Maisey Rika and Anika Moa, plus the inspirational narratives of Kenyan-born Somali poet Warsan Shire.description from www.roughtrade.com