I hadn't heard Canadian singer-songwriter Autumn Grieve before, so it was nice to finally get the chance to do that. 'Terra Infinita' was recorded with Deserted Villager and multi-instrumentalist/ composer Scott McLaughlin, as well as an ensemble of assorted villagers, including the ubiquitous Dave Colohan and skronkmeister Sean Og. It's primarily Grieve and McLaughlin's show though, and together they get the hairs standing on end in a sombre and gothically-beautiful way that had me in mind of Heidi Berry's exquisite anomalies for Creation records, "Below the Waves" and "Firefly". Berry would later be homogenised for a 4AD audience, but at that point her work had the same spare, economical precision as Grieve's does here. 'Flown' is dazzling night-side folk, ideally suited to staring through rain-spattered windows. 'The Balance and the Beauty' is an expanding gyre of a mantra so beautiful it almost beggars description. All I can say is it makes the heart both ache and soar at the same time. Props go to Kate Redman's clarinet, which forms a perfect counterpoint to Grieve's vocals. 'Today the Rain' brings the vocal reverb and delay in a most effectively Nadler-esque fashion; haunted vocals and treated piano sailing some very turbulent emotional seas. Here's hoping that the wish for death embodied in the lyrics are melancholy/romantic catharsis and not literal. 'The Borrowed Light of Memory' takes the listener out bathed in a distinctly pre-Raphaelite glow, autumnal and perfectly, exquisitely sad.
Ptolemaic Terrascope
"Autumn Grieve è nata in Canada ma evidentemente non disprezza viaggiare: negli anni 90 è a Belfast a suonare con i Resin (che sconosco), nel 98 riappare a Memphis dove pubblica a suo nome un EP, Another Window, con la collaborazione di qualche Rachel's. Le credenziali ci sono, il disco è sold out, ma lei non dà seguito.
Ed ora eccola riapparire su questa sponda dell'Atlantico, alla corte dell'ottimo villaggio deserto irlandese: Terra Infinita è il nuovo EP, 20 minutini impreziositi dalla confezione homemade di casa Rusted Rail. 4 ballate malinconiche, lo scheletro acustico rimpolpato di nebbie dronanti ed eco sognanti, gocce di piano, flauto e clarinetto a richiamare un po' 4AD/Dead Can Dance (i cori eterei di Today the Rain) un po' una dimensione folk europea (The Borrowed Light of Memory). E la voce delicata dell'Autumn che invoca Tara e confessa flash di travagliata vita interiore.
Chi ama Marissa Nadler ma soprattutto Jessica Bailiff tenda l'orecchio."
Another Green World (Italy)
"It would be impossible to describe Autumn's music without mentioning Kate Bush - though more from depth of feeling rather than a direct link. Her first release for bedroom-run label Rusted Rail feels deeply feminine, steeped in emotion, offering a unique take on the world of pastoral folk. Autumn's breathy vocals serve as another instrument within the layers of delicate guitar, and careful strings. The result is individuality in a genre that has become heavily loaded of late. Essential."
Rough Trade Digital
Single of the Week at Road Records, Dublin: "Autumn Grieve is a Canadian born singer and onetime member of Belfast based outfit Resin. On this twenty minute four track mini album on the rusted rail label she has stripped everything back to its bare essentials and simply let her amazing voice shine through. She has worked with members of the Rachels in the past and you can hear some of their piano based sounds on the opening track Flown, you can also hear the sounds of the likes of Cat power, Lisa Gerrard and Marissa Nadler in there, simply put this is some of the most hauntingly beautiful folk you are likely to hear in quite a while, a real hidden treasure. Features Flown, The Balance and the Beauty, Today the Rain and The Borrowed Light of Memory, comes pressed on a limited edition 3 inch cdr and features a handmade card miniature gatefold sleeve - even the packaging is beautiful" Road Records
Autumn Grieve's soaring voice has an ethereal quality to it and she avoids the cliche of any obvious female role model. Instead, her style is perhaps informed by two generations of Buckleys: Tim and Jeff. These heartfelt songs are accompanied by slightly ghostly arrangements... violin, piano, guest appearances from the likes of Dave Colohan (Agitated Radio Pilot) on tin whistle, Sean Og on baritone sax and we even get a lyric sheet. All this in the sort of handcrafted packaging that makes each Rusted Rail release a joy to behold.
Boa Melody Bar
"Autumn Grieve returns with "Terra Infinita", a suite of four songs. This act is one of the lesser known ones looseley affiliated with the Deserted Village collective, with one set released previously. Her music is chamber pop music centred around such instruments as piano, saxophone, violin and clarinet. A sense of loss and longing runs through these melodic songs. The production on her releases is always notable with a widescreen sound and sencse of drama. Four songs simply isn't enough. The evocative mixture of All About Eve and Dead Can Dance is unique and we leave the music always before we want to. There is a folky simplicity that runs through the music, sometimes falling back to simple acoustic guitar and whistle. Music this beautiful isn't often found in the charts, but it's existance is to be celebrated here. It's a little musical charm, a delight that those who discover it will treasure."
Mark Coyle www.harvest-home.org
"This four song EP highlights the powerful, gorgeous voice of Canadian Autumn Grieve, formerly of Irish band Resin. Her voice is at the center here, with a light folk and almost chamber pop backing, which makes especially good use of piano and violin. "Flown" and "The Balance and The Beauty" showcase confident, even defiant writing. Think Cat Power, but not PJ Harvey. Even in her definitive statements, Grieve leaves her arms open, with all the hope she can muster. On other tracks, particularly "Today The Rain" the mixture of ambient and folk inches close to the line of being fey, but is saved again by the vocals... She is bound to make noise on the folk scene, and deserves a wider audience for her music. Mike Wood Foxy Digitalis