Formerly known as Kate Tempest, Kae returns after the disappointing The Book Of Traps And Lessons, renewed and revitalized with that magic sparkle heard on earlier records. Always one to cut to the heart of social observations, The Line Is A Curve turns in a personal direction as a love story arcs from origins of pain and separation. Although Kae is often tied up in the observations of the characters manifesting from story telling, this time much of the lyrical feels deeply personal with vulnerability often heard in there voice. The record blossoms from a typically dystopian, dissatisfied, unsettled origin into a warm, endearing resolve found in the love of another soul.
Shadowy, softly glum with a nightly luminosity, the opening instrumentals navigate difficult terrain with terrain as Kae's lyrical journey starts from a depressive state. The mood begins to turn with Salt Coast, its opening gives me an eerie deja vu to Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues. It must be the same piano chord! With this song both Kae and the instrumental start turning to positive expressions and melodies as the relationship between ones self and the other starts to tangle. Slowly the threads are pulled one by one.
Along the way, These Are The Days land some Pink Floyd vibes with fantastic instrumentation. Mixing a live band with the synthetic melodies has a beautiful resonance. Its something the production achieves over and over, melding different musical elements at the greatest compliment to Kae's words. Things get a little manic with the last couple of songs but landing on the heart pouring Grace, the arc finds its conclusion. One that surely can't be fictions, its such a beautiful expression.
The Line Is A Curve plays with a true album experience, not a collection of songs but a journey cohesive in voice and instrumentation that one can chew on from some time as Kae's lyrics stir the deeper rumblings of thought and the accompanying music setting an apt complimentary tone. The whole thing feels like a hugely personal endeavor to shape the motions of ones life into a piece of art.
Rating: 7/10