Originally released in singer/songwriter
Sally Seltmann's native Australia in 2004 before
Broken Social Scene's label Arts and Crafts picked it up for international distribution the following year,
New Buffalo's full-length debut blends electronic and acoustic instruments in richly textured arrangements. Conceptually similar to contemporaneous albums by
Keren Ann,
Emiliana Torrini, and
Feist (who in 2007 would have a major international hit with her version of
Seltmann's song "1234"), what sets
The Last Beautiful Day apart are
Seltmann's talents as both singer and songwriter: gifted with a strong, clear voice that's a more substantial and varied instrument than many of her more wispy contemporaries;
Seltmann is also a clever melodicist with a knack for plainspoken but evocative lyrics. On first listen, a track like "I've Got You and You've Got Me (Song of Contentment)" is merely a hypnotic swirl, four minutes' worth of pleasant atmospherics; slowly, however,
Seltmann's cyclical melody and genuinely sweet, lovestruck lyrics reveal themselves through the haunting synthesizer and saxophone arrangement. Elsewhere, the minimal "Time to Go to Sleep" echoes the insomniac's lament of the lyrics by letting various instruments and unidentifiable sounds intrude and recede as the simple, lullaby-like melody unfolds, like the nagging thoughts and noises that interfere with sleep. More immediately accessible songs like the soaring opener "Recovery" and the gentle solo acoustic showcase "Come Back," which features
Seltmann's most guileless and unfettered vocal, are early proof of her knack for memorable, hook-filled but unpredictable songs. In the aftermath of
Feist's success with her song,
Seltmann's second album as
New Buffalo, 2007's
Somewhere, Anywhere, garnered a lot more critical attention, but
The Last Beautiful Day is every bit as good. ~ Stewart Mason