Hard to believe, but almost five years have passed since Chan Marshall last put pen to paper and released an album of her own material. Fans of that album, the deliciously awkward ‘Moon Pix’, will no doubt be delighted by the arrival of ‘You Are Free’ as it is essentially more of the same. Marshall’s croaky, subdued voice; sombre themes; sparse folk; understated blues; skilful artistry; blah blah blah.

Charmingly playful title track ‘Free’ stands out as something of an oddity on the album, in that it is neither lo-fi, sleepy or uncomfortable enough. Needless to say it is a solitary happy moment of near-perfect pop in an otherwise gloomy musical landscape.

Curiously, two tracks on the album feature vocals by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, while fellow Seattle alumni Dave Grohl provides percussion on three. Anything even remotely interesting that either of these two might have contributed to this project however is rendered unrecognisable, so quiet and subdued are their contributions (small mercies, etc).

Granted, Marshall is an innovative and talented artist. Some of her offerings are achingly beautiful. And yes, as you’d expect from a CatPower album ‘You Are Free’ is a challenging listen, difficult at first to penetrate. But I’m afraid by the end of ‘Moon Pix’ I’d had my fill of worthy self-flagellation. I’ve done my penance. I’ve suffered enough. Time to move on to something a little cheerier I think. Something a little less bleak.

Words: Shaun Macartney

Listen to ‘You Are Free’ online at www.catpowermusic.com