July 2, 2009

Album review: Tiny Vipers - Tiny Vipers

A winsome and woeful songstress

7 / 10 If cutesy is what you’re after then Jesy Fortino, aka Tiny Vipers, is definitely not the best place to start. As debuts go ‘Hands Across The Void’ was a self-assured step away from the elfish glow of the numerous female singer songwriters she’s often compared to (Joanna Newsom, Chan Marshall). So it’s no surprise that with ‘Life On Earth’ she’s taken a giant leap into an abyss of haunting despondency that recalls the same sparse guitars and woe as Red House Painters (‘Development’) and the burden of grief that Patsy Cline carried with her (‘Time Takes’). These vipers may be tiny, but there’s a bite to Fortino’s harrowing vocal that’s sure to leave its mark.

Ash Dosanjh

Click here to get your copy of 'Tiny Vipers' from the Rough Trade store