Shortly after I met Kara a cousin, not noted for her interest in folk music, mentioned that she’d heard them at a village fete and remembered Daria Kulesh vividly. Daria is like that: she is memorable, she’s a personality; and while the band is gearing up to start work on their second album she releases her debut.
Daria has not fallen into the trap of trying to make a Kara album. This is very different – ten original songs that are largely autobiographical, each one dedicated to family members or friends. The opening tracks establish her voice as the key instrument and my initial impression was of unexpected delicacy. Second time round I realised that there was a lot more going on. Producer Ben Walker plays almost everything and it is his guitar and piano that sets the first foundations. There are guest appearances from Kate Rouse, Kaity Rae, Luke Jackson and Lauren Deakin-Davies who also produced ‘Fake Wonderland’ and ‘Cracks’ but Daria and Ben hold centre stage.
The opening track, ‘Fata Morgana’, is for Daria’s fairy godmother and the dual meanings of the title, sorceress or mirage, are entwined in the song. It is here, perhaps, that Daria’s eternal child is rooted. Not that her reminiscences are all sweetness and light. The second song, ‘Letting Go’ (“for my first love”), contains a wicked put-down in its second verse. First love stays with you forever even if you don’t want it to.
There are three songs at the heart of the album which depart from the clear path of autobiography. In ‘At Midnight’, co-written with Igor Devlikamov, she confesses to being a witch which is probably not literally true although I agree that she casts a spell. Then comes ‘Butterflies’ which effortlessly deconstructs the usual metaphors and puts together an alternative view: “brittle butterflies break their wings on ignorance…too soon”. Even if you don’t know about Epidermolysis bullosa and “butterfly children” the metaphor still works on a different level for the eternal child forced to grow up. ‘The Hairdresser’ sounds like a flight of fancy and I hesitate to ask how much truth hides within its soap-opera story.
Daria writes strong melodies to go with her crystal clear voice and I wonder how much the music of her Russian childhood influences them. The result, however, is an album that rewards repeated listening and will be near at hand for quite a while.
Dai Jeffries
Artist’s website: www.daria-kulesh.co.uk
Daria performs ‘Butterflies’. Not the best film but it also includes an important introduction to the song:
And here is the official video for ‘Right Here’:
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