Mara Carlyle

biog

Mara's musical journey has been a long one. Having formed a punk band with her brothers while still at primary school, it's safe to say that she's been making music all her life. In various ensembles Mara has sung her way through church music, jazz, bluegrass, opera and electronica, elements of all of which can be found sitting harmoniously side by side on her album The Lovely.

Lovely by name, lovely by nature? Well, yes and no.

The music certainly sounds lovely, so lovely in fact that it'll make you swoon and laugh and cry all at once. The voice is undeniably lovely, but listen a little closer and a rather darker voice can be heard, telling tales of love and loss, death and courage and of nightmares.

Arranged and produced by Mara, with additional production and mixing magic from her old buddies Plaid, the album is equal parts sinister and serene. The haunting opener, "Saw Song", demonstrates Mara's saw playing skills and swooping vocal range. "I Blame You Not", has the feel of a jazz standard. "Bonding" and "Bravely Born(e)" are both awash with sweet forties-style harmonies. Conventional instruments such as piano and guitar appear alongside more unusual ones: ukuleles strum their way through quirky fairytale "Baby Bloodheart" and an mbira (African thumb piano) provides the pulse for the uplifting album closer "For Me".