New Buffalo - The Last Beautiful Day (2004)

The Last Beautiful Day, recently released in America via the Arts & Crafts International label (previously released in Australia in 2004 via Dot Dash) is a wonderful slice of quirky, sublime pop. Essentially a one-woman show, Sally Seltmann wrote, recorded and produced all of the songs on the album, with a little help from the likes of Beth Orton - who sings backing vocals on one track - and the Dirty Three's Jim White - who provides drums on three of the albums ten songs. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is about the Last Beautiful Day that makes it such a joy to listen to. On tracks, such as the slow burning Come Back, Seltmann's voice is at once fragile and beautiful, with the quiet guitar accompaniment lending the song a certain poignancy. Elsewhere, the combination of live instrumentation with programmed beats and loops add a complexity to the songs that is always subtle, in keeping with the understated elegance of the album On the uplifting It'll Be Alright, when Seltmann tells us just that, it is impossible not to believe her. The Last Beautiful Day is a fully realized, left-of-center pop delight that delivers something new to the listener with each spin.

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