The DesertersRAF ***

As one-half of Cat’s Eyes (with The Horrors frontman Faris Badwan), Rachel Zeffira is a soprano and multi-instrumentalist with a strong calling card of her own.

While her contributions to that excellent album with Badwan were heavily in thrall to the allure of 1960s girl groups, Zeffira’s debut is more about her classical and opera roots.

The Deserters is a gloriously gloomy set of songs. The ethereal is always in danger of being ratcheted up to the max and melancholy is the pre-set mood throughout. Zeffira does a good line in moody femme fatale and dramatic diva, but the songs are robust, symphonic and occasionally lush.

Be it the thrilling Goodbye Divine, the wonderfully cast Here on In or the goth-groove that powers Break the Spell, Zeffira displays plenty of ideas throughout.

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Download:Goodbye Divine, Break the Spell