Fanny Lumsden
Fallow
Cooking Vinyl Australia

Right from the outset of Fanny Lumsden’s third album you sense that something different is in the air – a new maturity and and depth to the music as the lush opening hymnal refrain of ‘Mountain Song’ echoes and reverberates from the speakers. Musically it’s unexplored territory for the songwriter – a bold, sincere and quite beautiful statement.

With a reputation built on playful videos and clever observational songs, Lumsden has taken a different approach on Fallow. Those elements are still there in songs like ‘Peed In The Pool’ and the rhythmically infectious ‘Tidy Town’ (courtesy of Dan Stanley Freeman’s STAX-like bass playing) but the quieter and more intimate moments take centre-stage. The impact of becoming a mother and losing a mother-in-law (Freeman’s mother) are addressed with grace and heartfelt poetry. Memories hang heavy in the air on “Wishing’ while Lumsden paints an evocative picture of that period between Christmas and New Year on ‘These Days’.  Brother Thomas adds an impressive guest vocal on the piano-led title track, sonically another departure from her folk/country sound. It works too, with producer Matt Fell perfectly capturing the heart and emotion of all of the songs with warmth and detail.

Fallow is Lumsden digging deep and finding gold. Sure, sadness and loss are recurring themes but through it all one gets the sense of an artist taking stock of a moment in her life, documenting it with unflinching honesty and integrity and looking ahead to silver linings.

Chris Familton