The Langley Sisters 'Sirens' EP
Derbyshire trio embrace the darkness
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The Langley Sisters are three young siblings from a Derbyshire brood of eight. Having already graced Ed Harcourt’s ‘Lustre’ album, the sister’s intriguing debut ep is now coming out on Harcourt’s own Piano Wolf imprint.
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From the barrage of the opening two songs here (‘The Arsonists Daughter’ and ‘Sing for my Supper’) The Langley’s surprise with what amounts to beguiling quasi-western symphonies. Neo-gothic melanges of ghostly harmony, aching strings, piano and songs based in tragedy and folklore. Ever high on drama, and as quirky as a Tim Burton fantasy.
Queens of the Stone Age’s pummelling ‘No-One Knows’ gets stripped to just some skeletal Johnny Cash toe-tapping rhythms, and the sisters intertwining voices. The simmering tragedy of ‘Tolita’ showcases some of the sisters’ most heart-tugging harmonies and melodies as the song teeters on the edge of collapse with barely restrained guitar noise buzzing angrily as it concludes.
The girls’ singing is tantalising throughout, whether solo or collectively. Their voices swirl around each other in harmonies that achieve a mightily impressive unity. ‘Sirens’ is an enigmatically dark pleasure.
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