Dreamy dissonance is Scottish singer/songwriter
Dot Allison's stock in trade, and while her ethereal, reverb-revering sound may read like old news in 2009,
Allison is a compelling enough presence to make it sound urgent and alive, if not new. With producer
Rob Ellis,
Allison has stripped away extraneous gloss and made a variegated collection of sad songs exploring multiple facets of trench-coated, tremolo noir and all falling somewhere on the continuum between pretty-sad and scary-sad. On the pretty end, "Paved with a Little Pain," a midtempo
Dusty Springfield-ish country-rocker, features a sweet, lazy melodic hook. The gorgeous "While She Sleeps" and "Buzzing Round the Honeypots" pair fingerpicked acoustic guitar with lush vocals and plenty of space for grieving. ("Fall to Me" accomplishes the same but with piano backing.) At the midpoint on the continuum, her duet with
Paul Weller, "Love's Got Me Crazy," has the couple playing
Richard & Linda on a mournful folk tune reminiscent of
Weller's own "English Rose." And edging toward the darker end of the spectrum, the title track is a haunting meditation that makes almost creepy use of the singer's unearthly soprano, while "Jonny Villain" is a furious trad-sounding murder ballad. The other most talked-about collaboration here, and the centerpiece of the album, is the menacing "I Wanna Break Your Heart," featuring
Pete Doherty's subdued vocals and guitar and
Allison on a ghostly Halloweentown xylophone.