Ana Silvera

The Aviary is multi-instrumentalist and singer Ana Silvera’s debut album. A talented and diverse musician, Ana imbues the album with drama. With influences from Rufus Wainwright and string arrangements by Maxim Moston (Anthony & The Johnsons), Ana’s music carries overtones of romance and tragedy.

Brooding and avant-garde, the album draws on Ana’s appreciation of opera and anti-folk, evoking images of warm nights in fig groves or soulful bars. The string arrangements are exceptional and the piano suggest hints of Regina Spektor. However, many of the early songs seem interchangeable and there is little progression or development within the album arc; as is often the case when complex orchestration is over-layered with verbosity, the songs can feel overwhelming at times.

The Aviary offers the soul of a Rufus Wainwright album, but without his talent for lyrics, and is in danger of falling into dreariness. Despite this, there are moments of true beauty within the album, especially from the violin in songs such as Letter from New York. www.anasilvera.com.

Bryony Byrne