Carrie: Honey Blue Star

If you like your folk with some computerized edges, then the Mexican artist Carrie’s Honey Blue Star is for you. That being said, if you can’t stomach listening to a quiet girl singing in broken English about her cat’s love for milk and tuna fish, than you should head back to your Hope Sandoval. I’m all for childlike, breathy vocals, but when they pair up with empty phrases like, “I don’t live love, this is the end”, I wonder why Carrie didn’t choose to sing in her native tongue. It’s a shame the lyrics aren’t better, because Carrie’s voice is compelling. It’s not as strong as Chan Marshall’s (whose work is an obvious influence), but closer to Isobel Campbell’s or El Perro Del Mar’s Sarah Assbring. It grows on you, and by the sixth and most winning cut on the album, “Monster Truck”, you’re ready to sit back and let the waves of twee electronica wash over you.