Gris-De-Lin - 'Muhammad Ali'

Gris-De-Lin is probably one of the most spellbinding songwriter/multi-instrumentalists I've ever came across. Having put out a couple of singles two or so years ago Gris-de-lin impressed from the get go with her ability to rise high above the constraints of the post-rock genre, and flirt with everything from alt-folk to minimalist electronic elements. No easy feat, so I was thrilled to find she had a forthcoming album "Sprung" in the works.

 Her latest single 'Muhammad Ali' is nothing short of an absolute banger. To begin with Gris-De-Lin has upped her game considerably, this is a much higher fidelity recording than her early works and that clarity has done so much to bring out the intricate layers of the composition. This appears to be paired with a confidence on the part of what is now a mature artist confident in her sound and willing to paint with much bolder strokes; The now positively pounding drums have been pulled to he front, and Gris-De-Lin has evidently fallen in love with her fuzz pedal because there's a real grungy sense to the overdriven tone of the guitar, which when combined with the stacatto vocals employed here I feel will appeal to fans of Sarah Howells/Bryde.

 This is a really gutsy sounding song. And still I found myself drawn to the more subtle elements like the skipping glockenspiel which flits happily over the track and of course Gris' voice which on the final chorus really stretching out to the limit as she cries out 'Nobody can put me in a cage I am Muhammad Ali!'; which is 1 an excellent image and 2 jaw-droppingly powerful above the tempestuous post-rock ensemble which by this point is in full swing replete with replete with crashing cymbals, thrusting chords and a full Brass section.

 Oh and lyricists take your notebooks out now because Gris-De-Lin is going to show us how it is done:

 "Like potassium hitting the water in a glass fizzing brightly away from his past"

 Wow, just wow.