I haven’t posted an album review before so think it fitting that my first should be of one of the most anticipated releases of the year (as far as I’m concerned) – Yoav’s third album Blood Vine.

It’s a stylistic departure, but, much like its predecessors, there is a beautiful darkness (and an occasional Middle Eastern undercurrent) that runs through the album which makes the slower songs particularly haunting.  A great album and a grower, it’s definitely one to stick on repeat.

Yoav’s debut, 2008’s Charmed & Strange, had some stunning moments (There is Nobody, Beautiful Lie) but it’s because of 2010’s A Foolproof Escape Plan, a near flawless album, that I’ve really been looking forward to Blood Vine. From opener To the woods (an atmospheric 40 second instrumental) it’s clear that this album is quite different from its predecessors. Where before, through self-made guitar and percussive loops, Yoav was a one-man band, he’s now shifted towards more production and using additional instruments (all of which are played by him).

The experimentation with this new direction (most notably the loud drums) is most immediate on the club-tinged Know More and first single Blink and the almost sarcastically uptempo Karaoke Superstar, a TV-talent-contest-bashing anthem. For me, they feel a little detached and lack the warmth of the quieter more acoustic tracks, though at the same time this makes them compelling.

Yoav at the Assembly, 16 January 2010 – the first time I saw him live/heard him

By the halfway point though, things really start to get good. Keep Calm Carry on is more reminiscent of Yoav’s earlier work, and sets the mood for the album’s cluster of highlights which follow in rapid succession. The acoustic guitar (not so prominent up until this point) shines on the short and sweet Everything Is…., Pale Imitation picks up the pace again and some great lyrics (“The lady greets us with a reptile grin/wrapped tight around her alligator skin”) make the dream-like Hotel Oblivion especially visual.

Sign of Life is the longest and most complex track on the album, and Shiver#7 (the 7th reworking of a song Yoav wrote when he was 19) and album closer Malice in the garden are both lovely slowburners. On the first listen Blood Vine is intriguing, and with every subsequent listen, you start appreciating more and more the intricacy and subtlety of the many sonic layers – it’s definitely a grower.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how Yoav interprets these new tracks on stage – his show at Kirstenbosch next month is sure to be something very special.

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Standout tracks: Pale Imitation,  Hotel Oblivion, Keep Calm Carry On

Yoav: Facebook | Website | Just Music

Available in South Africa now: Look & Listen  |  kalahari.com