Nadine Shah – ‘Love Your Dum and Mad’
Having released two critically acclaimed EPs, Nadine Shah debuts her highly anticipated album Love Your Dum and Mad on July 22nd. Recorded and produced by the extraordinary Ben Hillier, who has previously worked with the likes of Blur, Depeche Mode, and The Horrors, Shah’s eponymous release marks her as one of the most exciting talents of 2013.
Of Norwegian and Pakistani ancestry yet hailing from the northeast, the young London-based artist delivers a beautifully formed artistic statement. Rather fittingly, most of the songs were recorded in her father’s Curtain Superstore in Blaydon, Tyne and Wear; the dark, hued material was packed with emotional depth.
The opening track, ‘Aching Bones’, is a delightful introduction to the former jazz singer with its clanging rhythm, tinkering keys and rolling rich vocals. A striking, eerie and somewhat menacing tone permeates from the offset.
Unique soundscapes are explored throughout ‘To Be A Young Man’, with Shah’s haunting words alongside acoustic guitar hooks and persistent thuds. An ode to borrowed nostalgia, Shah croons, “Oh, to be a young man again”, with her noticeable Geordie intonations before a sonically intriguing instrumental ending.
Seamlessly opening into ‘Runway’, Shah dips into a brave take on adultery. Lyrically, her tales of love and loss take something from personal experiences, often writing from a mother’s perspective; however, she does not want her to sound defeated. Instead, she sings, “Run away to your whore; I have the right to half this house. I’m fine”.
Cultural influences are especially prevalent in ‘The Devil’, before the album takes a rather melancholic approach, beginning with ‘Floating’. A largely instrumental offering, the experimental electronic oddities merge delightfully with Shah’s deeply dark tales and quivering vocals.
The artist further highlights her exceptional vocal talent through the romantic sentiment of lyrics such as “Darling, I’ll hold your cigarette, whilst you tie your shoes” in the simplistic yet shimmering track ‘All I Want’. The charming successor, ‘Used It All’, continues to blend her rich, husky tones with ominous piano, portraying a weary character that mirrors the introspective mood of the first half of the album.
Piano-led tracks ‘Dreary Town’ and ‘Remembered’, meanwhile, showcase her foreboding, anguished vocals impeccably, with her dramatic compositions enhanced by the workings of Ben Hillier. Meanwhile, the sonically immersive ‘Filthy Game’ is a philosophical observation of a stranger in a town, based on a short story by Italo Calvino (‘Mr Palomar’).
Shah’s ever-chilling, smoky voice carries over haunting piano before the beautiful closing track, ‘Winter Reigns’. The delicately sparse opening explores aptly seasonal themes before the introduction of dark riffs that see a sense of acceptance, “Every boy and girl in this place you trust/ we accept you one of us”.
Love Your Dum and Mad is a delectable debut offering from the northern lass. It is laced with gloomy piano and, in contrast, the stark clang of chugging riffs and twisted industrial sounds. Shah’s redemptive tales resonate from within and are sure to leave a lasting impression.
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