HELEN ZACHARIAH – BLOW THEM AWAY INTO NOTHINGNESS

In the early 80’s, Helen’s proto-grrrrrl combo “The Greedy Girls” terrified punk gentlefolk and so impressed the then-nobody Liam Gallagher, now in Oasis, that he pretended for months to be a Mute rep before blowing his cover and absconding with a beloved demo, the fate to which may be explained by certain dubious samples (no, this is not a joke, just the plain truth). On her debut album, Helen Zachariah delivers a diversity of musical genres with a natural ease, fully demonstrating her incredible ability to capture any mood, be it melancholic or upbeat, only to set it free in an astonishing piece of music, always using her voice as the imperative instrument, ranging from beautiful and affectionate to harsh and critiquing.