Martina Topley Bird - 'Poison
British vocalist Martina Topley Bird has been breaking ground since she appeared on ‘Maxinquaye’, the debut album of trip-hop entrepreneur Tricky.
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The celestial voiced angel continued to make music with her then boyfriend and after a personal and professional break-up, she went solo.
In 2003 she released her first long-player ‘Quixotic’, which featured long time friends including Josh Homme, Mark Lanegan and David Arnold.
The result was a fusion of vintage soul, rock and nocturnal blues, creating a buzz in the industry which resulted in a Mercury Prize nomination.
Now she is back with a new album and from it this simple but quirky pop-noir single ‘Poison’.
“For me, music is about accessing thoughts and emotions that lie below the surface”
This quote from Martina paints the mood for ‘Poison’: Agonising heartache simmers below a bed of psychedelic-surf guitars and swirling, cinematic glitz.
Her laid-back vocal talent is understated but haunting and genuine pain can be detected in her shameless lyrics: “Just a memory of you/It feels like poison”
Danger Mouse’s distinctive production methods offer layers of beguiling beauty; a dreamy sound-scape with Martina’s embracing vocals high in the mix.
Martina is certainly a genuine purveyor of finely crafted, other worldly pop music. ‘Poison’ is another evolution in her already distinguished career.