Lisa Mitchell
Welcome to the Afternoon EP
Warner
When a CD arrives on your desk there are several ways to address it. Familiarity, aesthetics, curiosity or hearsay. To the uninitiated, a glance at the autumnal, folky chanteuse on the cover of Lisa Mitchell's EP suggests not much more than a lifetime of fey bedroom plinking and some stories to tell. Which isn't far off, but what it hides very well is that Lisa Mitchell rose to prominence as a contestant on that stain of mankind, Australian Idol.
Well here is where I (partially) swallow my prejudice because...this EP is really, really good. Perhaps even great. Because, lo and behold, the once Albury based teenager writes interesting, unassuming and erudite folk songs. And whom sounds remarkably like a female version of M Ward - which has as much to do with the creative production as Mitchell herself - or even a neat blend of Holly Throsby and Sarah Blasko.
First track and forthcoming album cut 'See You When You Get Here' is a ghostly understated meander through ruminations on life and death. If simplistic, it works by remaining so open ended. An eerie singing saw and some compressed AM radio backing vocals give it a Tim Burton-esque (aka: M Ward) "creepiness"; a characteristic wholly vacant from pretty much any other Idol contestant. Ever.
Second track 'Neopolitan Dreams' begins as an vocally double-tracked, snappy piano and acoustic number. Revealing a unique lyrical perspective: "I don't think you're ever a hundred percent in the room", it finishes on a satisfyingly vaudeville tangent. 'Far Far Far Away' treads a cloying line vocally, but still delivers a sweet song via an understated (there's that word again) melancholic piano line and neat chord changes. Finally, the unfortunately named 'A Little Ramblin' Blues For Any Hour', is surprisingly, a stomping rock song. As an excercise in showing breadth to Mitchell's short catalogue, it works a treat.
It appears Mitchell wrote all these tracks. Further inspection reveals she's been collaborating with the likes of nobodies like Ben Lee, Paul Mac, Clare
Bowditch, Katy Steele and Bob Evans; as well as Dan Humme from featherweights Evermore, who engineered, played on and produced much of this release. Whatever the case, it's a masterful little package. If her forthcoming album simply multiplies the quality tunes and her rather major label record company can stay out of sight, Mitchell could well be a major contestant contender. Turns out she wasn't so much "discovered" by Idol as "survived".