Trixie Whitley

Punk rock was never all about the music; most of the key bands hardly produced anything that original. It was more about the attitude and uncompromising principles. In that respect they had quite a lot in common with the bands they claimed to despise, as ELP, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd etc. were pretty uncompromising with musical output and direction.

Trixie Whitley does not play ‘punk’ but she has developed her music in a similar DIY manner, on her terms. So three Eps and one album later we have Porta Bohemica in which Ms Whitley covers a number of musical bases with aplomb and confidence.

Soft Spoken Words is a heavy, menacing electronic song, vying for space with the semi-acoustic sparseness of Faint Mystery. Nudging for a hearing is the complex Latinish Salt – one of the highlights – with the wall of sound that is Hourglass.

Elsewhere Eliza’s Smile has a relaxing bluesy feel, in which Ms Whitley’s gives the standout vocal performance of the album. The album closes with The Visitor a yearning, vulnerable solo piano piece plus another first class vocal. It’s actually a little invidious to pick out performances as none of them are wanting but the aforementioned just tugged a little harder.

The album sounds superb throughout. It is a polished production but not overwhelming as there’s a discernible heart to the songs so the listener isn’t alienated by the tech within.