Coracle

"Musically it's Portman's most refined work, with percussion, guitars and a chamber string section augmenting fiddle, harp and concertina, all spun into equilibrium by producer Andy Bell (of Ride and Oasis fame). Female voices in precise unison and poetic lyrics are at the album's centre, however, and the spell they cast is both entrancing and unsettling. A marvellous, original work".

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"Dark, dark is the considerable beauty of Emily Portman's work. Dark, mysterious and a consistently alluring puzzle ... "All Around My Hat", this isn't ... This first fully self-penned album swiftly moves into Portman World and is a big step on from her last album "Hatchling". Beautifully produced by Andy Bell, it's musically far more sophisticated than its predecessors - her regular working partners Rachel Newton and Lucy Farrell contributing to a blissful soundscape of harmony vocals amid a welter of strings, aided and abetted by a variety of guests ... Indeed, in parts it sounds almost poppily bright, the odd sound effects and percussive tricks adding to an uneasy mood that sways between gentle exhilaration and smiling menace".