Sharron Kraus

The Fox’s Wedding

(Durtro Jhana) www.Dutro.com

Rusalnaia

Rusalnaia

(Camera Obscura) www.CameraObscura.com.au

Those hankering for the music of water nymphs and renaissance fair(e)s made uneasy can rest their heads ever-so-warily upon Sharon Kraus’ spacey demon-angel folk éclat. The American-born British writer/singer shares moist odd passion, wordy woe and banjos with her heroine Shirley Collins – on all Kraus’ albums,  Fox  in particular. But it’s the inspiration of Leonard Cohen’s doom élan that helps give Kraus’ Gaelic lo-droning murder ballads and lost-love songs a devious poison edge. Check “Ruthless and Alone” – it alone is worth the price of admission, to say nothing of the dream-dirty “Brigid.” Then there’s Kraus’ Appalachia-by-way-of-Fishtown take on mordant folk done with Gillian Chadwick as Rusalnaia. Chadwick – known for her glam-pop Ex-Reverie and psych-skeletal GoldenBall – brings something doubly foreboding yet icily charming and clattering to Kraus. Produced by Espers’ Greg Weeks with analog-synths and dulcimers to spare, Rusalnaia makes the freak-forest Blacker still with trance tracks like “Wild Summer.”

Standout Tracks: “Ruthless and Alone” (Kraus), “Wild Summer” (Rusalnaia) A.D. AMOROSI