Smoke Fairies

Ghosts (self-released)

By Dana Raidt
Published: May 25th, 2010 | 7:00am

Despite their English upbringings, Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire have an affinity for the American South, even living in New Orleans for a period. Their immersion in the birthplace of American roots music obviously made its mark, but on Ghosts, the duo’s ability to translate their appreciation for the genre into an expression of it is still a work in progress.

The piano, banjo, slide guitar, strings, and sparse percussion on Ghosts—particularly on "Troubles” and “Frozen Heart”—do a good job conveying the melancholy in the band’s lyrics, and that is inherent in Smoke Fairies’ genre.

The vocals, however, often detract from this mission, and when combined with the band’s bluegrass-folk, seem garish at times. With the exception of the album’s title track and “Fences,” Davies and Blamire’s harmonies are too perfect—like the women can’t quite relax or are more concerned with hitting the notes than expressing themselves. Whereas similar artists like Micah P. Hinson, Neko Case, and Gillian Welch use their voices to add an element of fallibility or anguish, Smoke Fairies’ voices are beautiful yet don’t quite fit.

The songs on Ghosts may be hit-or-miss, but the ones that do work hint at a promising future for Smoke Fairies.

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