Aoife Nessa Frances

Aoife Nessa Frances (originally, McCarthy) is a singer-songwriter whose music takes her from the dreamy side of folk into the outer edges of psychedelic music, which she establishes mostly through her choices of instrumentation as opposed to using melodic cues. There are plenty of references to the classic psychedelia of the early '70s, including trippy guitar arpeggios, hand drums, soft toms, the upbeat hi-hat action, and a subtle Mellotron that adds a groovy layer without being too obvious about it. Her vocals sit atop this light swirl and sway a little like Cate Le Bon. She has a smoky, calm and relaxed voice. Her songs have nice but understated hooks, and a calm and even-keeled presentation.