Julie Byrne might not make for the most reliable tenant – her restless side has seen her move home countless times in recent years (Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Seattle, New Orleans … you get the picture). But life on the move has made for interesting music, in which double rainbows (Follow My Voice), breaking dawns (Natural Blue) and even the dye made from crushed beetles (Melting Grid) serve as lyrical inspiration. This second album might not hang together were it not for the fact Byrne herself appears immersed within the worlds she sings about – there’s something pleasingly organic about the way she almost seems to exhale the melodies. Songs such as All the Land That Glimmers Beneath are reminiscent of Jackson Browne’s finger-picked songs for Nico, but there’s an otherworldly glaze of synth that drifts over the likes of I Live Now As a Singer, adding to the unique and intimate atmosphere.
