Plum - Different Skin

Benbecula Records [sadly closing its doors in November - ed] can always be relied upon to deliver the offbeat, the oddball and the out-of-the-ordinary, and the great Scottish label certainly doesn’t disappoint here. Different Skin is the first album proper from the peculiarly named Plum, more conventionally known as Shona Maguire, with input from Plum chum Ben Phaze. With a meld of echoing, processed drums, eerie synths and plaintive acoustic guitar, Plum transcends the typical female singer/songwriter template to create a desolate, lonely and at times lovely sound. Portishead is a clear influence, especially evident in opener Goosebumps, which pairs a dark trip-hop beat with themes of rejection and longing; the looping vocals and minor chords of Connor nod to recent Radiohead. Plum’s haunting voice floats somewhere between KT Tunstall and Bat For Lashes, and affects most on the title track where she harmonises with several apparition-like tracks of herself. A Plum jam, if you will.