(Independent)

The long-awaited solo debut from this local identity

In one gorgeous guise or another, Fi Claus has made her mark on Brisbane stages and elsewhere for some years now. Her background has been mainly folk, orchestral and acoustic, but this first solo album highlights her more electric pop sensibilities. To that end, Pete Murray drops by to add the occasional vocal and some production while the musicians include his drummer Andy Sylvio and The Boat People’s James O’Brien on bass. But Claus brings a lot of her own talents to the table, playing a variety of guitars, violins, cellos, harmonium, glockenspiel and more. And though this actually had its origins in a chilly Melbourne terrace house, what shines through here is the warmth of these songs. They’re sometimes quirky (Fly On My Wall, Get Me Up), sometimes with a breezier melodic feel (I’ll Be Spending, Please Please), or even with a more lovelorn tone (Just The Rain), but what impresses is the sunniness of it all. It’s over quite quickly, 11 tracks coming and going in a mere 27 minutes, but that just means these appealing tunes don’t get a chance to overstay their welcome. As if that would happen anyway.

BILL HOLDSWORTH

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