Rachel Zeffira - The Deserters
London based Canadian soprano, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira is someone your most likely to know her as one half of the duo and massively underrated Cat's Eyes, the other half being Faris Badwan of the band, The Horrors and they formed back in 2010.
The Deserters is the first solo album by Rachel and was released via her and Faris's record label RAF Records in December of last year. The album was written and produced entirely by her too at The Pool and Abbey Road studios and features guest recordings from members of the London based Psychedelic band TOY and Melissa Rigby formerly of the now split post-punk revival band S.C.U.M
This album doesn't really sound like anything else on the market right now. Its folksy, its orchestral and as Mojo put it 'Spectral, rhapsodic pop.' Having done all of the composing and production work herself, this is a true reflection of Rachel's talent and the end result is a bewitching album that combines her talents as composer and musician. So ethereal is this album that some tracks wouldn't go amiss on fantasy film soundtracks or in the Enya back catalogue. Indeed, opening track The Deserter which lends its name to the album combines simple piano rhythm with soft, waning lyrics. There is a mix of energies that spans the release, some track such as Break the spell combine angelic vocals with a pop beat and orchestral tracks in a way that reminds me of the band V.A.S.T.
Rachel's musical ability has come together to produce a very enjoyable debut album that reflects her musical background and what she brings to the plate of Cats Eyes. The Deserters has a wide appeal and should belong in the collections of fans of pop folk music or more orchestral bands like the aforementioned V.A.S.T.