The fifth soul-searing record from the musical entity known as Scout Niblett. Continuing her fruitful studio relationship with Steve Albini, her new record is her most tightly coiled long-player yet, a heavy handful of songs that are reaching for the ripe and the light. People come to Emma Louise Scout Niblett for the joy of a scalding hot bath of sound amidst stark, bluesy emoting and she won't let 'em down this time. But something has shifted. Having made herself a record or two's worth of celebration ballads and moody freakouts, she seems to be hearing that call from within to feel for other things. The songs string together, almost as one, her guitar growls and bites, and the black velvet of space hovers. Just when the tension in the room and the filament of guitar can't glow any brighter, suddenly a band erupts, accompaniment to her vision and then back down to Scout and guitar. The Calcination of Scout Niblett is an intense devotional, a determined spirit journey and a collection of great slow-dance songs.
