Now this is special, very special indeed. Spellbinding harmonies and instrumentation. Two incredible vocalists in Christine and Monika (three if you count drummer Shawn's heartfelt contribution on 'Pearl'). Sabot are a chilling breath of fresh air, awash with beauty and sinister foreboding.
Every track is pristinely arranged down to the smallest detail, an obvious sign of the pride which these five very talented individuals take in their music. The combination of madrigal and contemporary - which is exhibited no better than on the storming opening track 'Sapphire' - is the sound which Miranda Sex Garden have striven for over their last three albums but never quite achieved, Sabot managing to take the challenge in their stride.
There are constant surprises over the seven tracks, from the exotic air given to 'Sapphire' by Monika's slinky soprano saxophone, to Glenn's guitar trickery on the moving 'Jewel Heart'. The tempestuous 'Pray Insane' draws everything to a close, and is an apt summation of the album as a whole - as the tempo speeds and slows, and the sound wells and dies, time and again, all the while Christine stringing the pearls of the song together with one of the most sensuous voices I've heard in a long time.
A beautifully-crafted, and deeply-loved, recording. (PB)
[1998]
