What music might you expect a former aide at the UN war crimes tribunals to make? Something raw and confrontational? Or, as Annelotte de Graaf makes under the name Amber Arcades, something so none-more-indiepop you feel like going out and photocopying 250 issues of a typewritten fanzine with a free flexi disc taped to the front? Fading Lines is a sustained exercise in restraint, De Graaf’s airy voice anchored by backing from assorted US indie luminaries, who provide just enough muscle without overwhelming her. This stuff – no production tricks, no style-du-jour hip points – stands or falls by the strength of the songs, and Amber Arcades has enough of them to keep you interested. The title track shimmers, a delicious descending lead guitar line snaking through it; the nearly seven-minute Turning Light takes the bassline to Friday on My Mind and goes with it on a long, droning drive. There are longueurs, but there’s also the sense of a real talent.
