Lush and bright and full of life
Lush and bright and full of life
We’ve heard it all before. Especially the ukulele and the handclaps. And the whistling, don’t forget the whistling. Well, we’ve all heard something like this before. The blueprint for Mann’s style of folk pop has been passed around for many a moon but that’s not exactly a stick you can beat her with for too long. After all, she’s far less annoying than Bumfluff and Children because at least she isn’t playing the nostalgia card for no apparent reason. No, I get the distinct impression that Mann likes using ukuleles and woodwind instruments because she likes how they sound and nothing else. What she also likes is a jaunty little tempo.
Over Land And Sea skips along like a girl with a jump rope, as the Americans would say barely pausing for breath. How it seems so light and fluffy when every song is laden with all kinds of instrumentation is beyond me and while I’m sure if I was in a bad mood this album’s playful tone could quickly annoy me very much indeed – for I can be a grumpy arsehole if I feel the need – I can’t help but feeling it would probably wear me down and have me skipping round the living room dusting the furniture before long.
You see, Over Land And Sea is a charming little record and it’s charm will probably win you over in the end. Whether you like it or not you can’t hold it against it. The album is lush and bright and full of life and if you’ve been sitting under a wet grey cloud for the last few months as most of us in Central Europe have, you’re probably quite in need of a bit of sunshine in your life. Well, here you go! Have a big, bright, jolly clap-a-long now why don’t you?
It’s as sweet as a Victoria Sponge, and just as filling.