Nina Nastasia's pervasive, quiet influence is starting to make itself known amongst the most recent crop of female songwriters – speaking to Mojo earlier this year, Laura Marling paid tribute to Nina: "She has the kind of openness I admire. You know she's not going to break down at any moment, and there's something very empowering about that."
Nina Nastasia's new album 'Outlaster' is a work of lush sophistication that, with no loss of distinction or economy, transcends the reach of Nastasia's famed sparseness. The orchestra takes a more formal approach with Paul Bryan's powerfully affecting score, harkening back to the likes of Gil Evans and the late Phil Ochs. Burnished with lustrous horns and reeds bolstered by a dynamic string ensemble, this record marks a distinct shift as much for her record label as for Nina Nastasia herself.
The title makes it plain, 'Outlaster' comprises ten tales of perseverance, both bound to and in defiance of the inexorable course toward a fixed but unknown future. 'Outlaster' might be an unsettling and revelatory experience, like reading a book that you've only seen film adaptations of. Such is to say that Nastasia's music feels like 'the real thing' – something often but only superficially imitated. She is, to quote Interview magazine, "the rare artist who creates a new form from which others will copy."
New single, 'You Can Take Your Time' released 6th December (Fat Cat).
An obvious standout from this year's 'Outlaster' album, 'You Can Take Your Time' is released as a single on 6th December. A staple of Nina's live performances for several years, 'You Can Take Your Time' is a lush, sweeping number cast in amongst Outlaster's central theme of perpetuation. Recorded separately from the album sessions and exclusive to this single, the second track, 'One Turned In' is one of Nina's newer songs. Arriving fully formed, it is a voluble demonstration of Nina's incredible ability armed solely with guitar-and-vocal.
"Maximum dark-hearted drama." -Kevin Harley, The Independent
"Beautifully judged and as haunting as the penny-dreadful artwork, these songs are once more torn from a remarkable songwriting mind." **** -Victoria Segal, Mojo
"Nastasia opts for her plushest, lushest sound yet… her most eerily accomplished work to date." 8/10 -Ash Dosanjh, NME
"Plenty of emotional bite and drama lurking within Nastasia's quietly intense ballads" -Stephen Dalton, The Times
"This is a record full of space and intimacy, drawing the listener completely into its black-and-blue world. Let her stories into your life, and they will never leave you. After all, Nastasia's talent is to snare those who find her, and never let them go." -BBC Music
Nina Nastasia
Monday 29 November 2010, 7.30pm
The Glee Club, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5BZ
Admission:
£12 from 0871 472 0400
£12 from www.glee.co.uk
More on the door
www.glee.co.uk
