Only so much reaches these shores from Tasmania, the island nestled at the south-east of Australia, producing some fair old pinot noir and having brought us the Taz Tiger - sox 'n' grots an' all. With a sound like Keane, Athlete, Bright Eyes and Coldplay, at times with Radiohead atmospherics, Enola Fall are a 3-piece dishing-up melodious soft-rock with jangly-guitars, the singer Joe Nuttall at times tight-rope walking in his delivery, whilst hitting the right notes, he's pitched high - there are songs where a darker and broodier delivery would have worked best. The cover is fabulous - an original art piece of a figure in the woods with a lantern casting a glow, a musical-note on his chest.'Aubade' opens the case, like a Taz version of a soap-opera or drama tune, instrumental with muted trumpet, some low-key sample squiggles and delicate guitar, zylophone - a dainty bit of candy. Vocals come in for 'Hope Against Hope' - with flavours of Coldplay and Keane - "I'm getting out..." is sung with clarity whilst the verses seem sung as though down a string from a paper-cup, warbling, the drumming and guitar-licks shiny. Rhythms change - 'Brief Lives' is a jaunty-freewheeling number with electric piano whilst 'Sleepless' takes things to a quiet reverie with anthemic qualities, trumpet-hoots - "I'm tired of waiting, to exist...".
'Jerusalem' is a song where the gruff and broody voice would have worked better - the voice high and grating with the jangly guitars and firm-bassline, whilst sonically it cuts the mustard and shows talent and texture. On 'Don't Lose Your Head' the vocalist displays the histrionic qualities he regards, a track with good chord-structure but little vocal variation or range. 'It's Raining Again' is a sweet ditty with acoustic guitar, delicate vocals working in harmony with electric piano and pitter-patter beat box. 'Draw Swords' is perhaps the most powerful track - building on piano-structures from a plaintive refrain, Joe singing "a sweetsad song that always turns to silence, surrounds us again...are you scared to die? F**cking terrified", sees the band climax, guts spilled across the studio-floor.
Enola Fall write songs with clarity and coherence in a plain-talking and poetically-discursive style, with 'waiting' and 'sleep' providing themes on a number of tracks. It's polished and tidy, the kind of music that'll find a receptive audience here in the U.K. and in the Northern Hemisphere. The singer lacking the versatility of Jeff Buckley or Tom Yorke to work some grit, but largely Joe is inoffensive and appropriate. Enola Fall are going to be taking on a European tour, and I have little doubt we'll be hearing more.
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