CD: Anja McCloskey - Quincy Who Waits

She's never liked labels, but this time round Anja McCloskey’s categorisation as “alternative folk” really seems misleading. Sure, there may still be the prominent use of accordion and her unusual voice, but now the 22-year-old seems only incidentally eccentric. Indeed, the overriding sense from Quincy Who Waits – a dreamy, phantasmagoria of sound – is that the singer from Iowa really just wants to entertain.

The album builds on the her debut, An Estimation, whose 19th century central European feel delighted many critics and invited comparisons to The Mummers and Spiro. The gypsy violins and accordions are still present on Quincy Who Waits but the melodies and vocals seem more immediate: “Too Many Words”, for instance, feels contemporary with hints of pop; and there’s a touch of Julianne Regan about “Insane”. McCloskey must be the only American who sings in an English accent.

That's probably because of the time she spent here. Compostionally, though, the influences are more intentionally broad. Still, for all that clutter, the songs rarely feel patchwork or difficult. Quite the reverse – it's one of the prettiest albums of the year. In the blissful “Henry Lives" the song's verses find release in beautifuly layered choruses. And, the way McCloskey’s voice blends with Campbell Austin in the drone-like “The Calm” is awesome.

On many such tracks the sound feels as though it has been sculpted. It contrasts with McCloskey’s first album which was recorded quickly, on a low budget, in a Quaker Hall. For this record, though, she recorded sessions in Hamburg, Brighton and London with no fewer than 22 guest collaborators.Together they have created a record of great warmth and elegantly immersive moods.

Overleaf: watch Anja McCloskey's video for "Too Many Words"