Killing Mood: Just Another Love Song

Killing Mood sounds like the name of a thrash-punk outfit, however the Australian-born Belinda Kordic is anything but punky. Her voice, which lies at the heart of Just Another Love Song‘s twelve tracks, lends new depth to words like “breathy” and “ethereal”. Reminiscent of Morcheeba’s Skye Edwards, Kordic murmurs and purrs her way through twisted, sultry, torch songs like “Devil’s Robe” and “Love Burns”. Instrumentation is understated, with plenty of bass and muffled guitars and keyboards. This is Kordic’s show from start to finish. Happily, she has the voice for it. Highlights are plentiful, one being a cover version of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”, featuring heavily reverbed vocals. Tempos remain languid throughout, although “Killing You” benefits from a bit of snappy snare, and album closer “Ramblin’ Man” could pass for midtempo, Harvest-era Neil Young, harmonica and all. Neil never sang quite so prettily, though.