Bouyed by Reid’s honeyed vocals and Sam Taylor’s chiming guitar, the likes of Richard and Come Home To You may be two of Preservation’s more traditional tunes but are of a simply breathtaking level for such a new talent.
The dusky indie folk of Nadia Reid's strong second effort is a marked evolution from her first.
All in all, Preservation is a fine record that finds this young artist really hitting her stride.
Preservation hits the hardest when there are zero or few added ingredients to divert attention from the voice, the melodies and the words.
Her ethereal, pensive vocals are cast against plangent folk-guitar shapes, but there is more dirt under her nails. The songs deal with empowerment through determination in the aftermath of love and loss, often in no uncertain terms.
Listen To Formation, Look For The Signs heralded the arrival of a prodigious talent ... Preservation continues in like manner, with the title track’s rippling waves of chorus-effect guitar burnished by ambient tints, as Reid’s amorous doubts and hopes track an enigmatic melody in Neko Case style.
Fragile, mysterious, and powerful, Preservation is one of the most elusively passionate albums of the year.
The sophomore album from New Zealand's Nadia Reid is a hushed recording—akin to an intimate conversation over coffee on a lazy Sunday morning.
What shines through the most is Reid’s confidence – with herself, her music, and what she’s trying to do – and ‘Preservation’ proves that whatever she discovered on her journey, it was very much a worthwhile undertaking.
preservation 4/10 (trust georgia boring femoid music gah boring)
the arrow and the aim 5.5/10 (gives dramatic fantasy movie slow mo battle scene soundtrack)
richard 4.5/10 (more lively than opening track)
i come home to you 5/10 (i’d say about as lively as last song, has kinda a julia jacklin type vibe to it)
Hanson St, Pt. 2 (a river) 6/10 (mystical) (its not her fault i just dont like this type of music but im listening cos my gf likes)
right on time 5.5/10 (album is getting more ... read more
The 2nd half of the album, with Reach My Destination, Te Aro and Ain't Got You is where Nadia really gets into the swing of things.
Very appealing voice with pretty melodies -- overall a very solid album. Nadia Reid would do well in the future to escape the shadow of her most obvious contemporaries, but there's clear promise.
1 | Preservation 4:22 | |
2 | The Arrow and the Aim 3:06 | |
3 | Richard 3:40 | |
4 | I Come Home To You 4:12 | |
5 | Hanson St, Pt. 2 (A River) 4:23 | |
6 | Right On Time 4:22 | |
7 | Reach My Destination 3:04 | |
8 | Te Aro 5:21 | |
9 | The Way It Goes 3:59 | |
10 | Ain't Got You 3:41 |
#2 | / | MOJO |
#4 | / | Rolling Stone (Australia) |
#32 | / | Q Magazine |
#34 | / | Double J |
#38 | / | God Is In The TV |
#39 | / | BrooklynVegan |
#47 | / | The Skinny |
#80 | / | Noisey |
#89 | / | Rough Trade |