Album: Agnes Obel, Philharmonics ([PIAS]) - Reviews - Music - The Independent

The latter is but one of several tracks in which her harp figures and affinity for animals bring to mind Joanna Newsom, though the pervasive sense of half-lit stillness in her music and delivery more strongly recalls Ane Brun or José González. Alongside the compelling poignancy of her own songs is a cover of John Cale's "Close Watch", in which Obel's voice occupies a still centre of calm at the heart of a gentle pulse.

DOWNLOAD THIS Riverside; Brother Sparrow; Beast; Close Watch; On Powdered Ground

Enter URL:

Enter URL:

Arts and Entertainment

The heat gets turned up on the Great British Bake Off

TVDessert week was full of the usual dramas as 'bingate' ensued

Arts and Entertainment

Clara and the twelfth Doctor embark on their first adventure together

Ofcom responds to Doctor Who lesbian kiss

TVThe regulator received six complaints on Saturday night

Arts and Entertainment

Vinyl demand: a factory making the old-style discs

Hard pressed

musicManufacturers are struggling to keep up with the resurgence in vinyl

Arts and Entertainment

David Baddiel concedes his show takes its inspiration from the hit US series 'Modern Family'

Prepare for Jewish jokes...

comedyNew comedy festival out to show that there’s more to Jewish humour than rabbi jokes

Arts and Entertainment

Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint kiss in Doctor Who episode 'Deep Breath'

Doctor Who lesbian kiss sparks Ofcom complaints

TV

Arts and Entertainment

Steve Carell in the poster for new film 'Foxcatcher'

Steve Carell as you've never seen him before in Foxcatcher poster

filmExclusive: First look at comic actor in first major serious role

Arts and Entertainment

Better Call Saul is set 'half a decade' before Breaking Bad

Better Call Saul second teaser released

TV

Arts and Entertainment

Kingston Road in Stockton is being filmed for the second series of Benefits Street

Producers confirm this is the location for Benefits Street series 2

arts + entsFilming for Channel 4 has begun despite local complaints

Arts and Entertainment

Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love voted Greatest Guitar Riff of all time

music

Arts and Entertainment

Radio presenter Scott Mills will be hitting the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom

Scott Mills joins Strictly Come Dancing line-up

TV

Arts and Entertainment

Sherlock wins three Emmys

TV

Arts and Entertainment

Louis CK won an award for writing in his semi-autogbiographical comedy series Louie

List of Emmys winners

TV

Arts and Entertainment

The Doctor and Clara have their first real heart to heart since he regenerated in 'Deep Breath'

Doctor Who returns - review

tv

Arts and Entertainment

Beyonce performs in front of a Feminist sign at the MTV VMAs 2014

Beyonce sparks debate over feminist set at VMAs

music

Arts and Entertainment

Miley Cyrus has taken home the prize for Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards 2014

Homeless man accepts Miley Cyrus' MTV VMA

music

Arts and Entertainment

Peter Paige and Scott Lowell in Queer as Folk (Season 5)

Channel 4 plots to shock with its gay Cucumber

tvA batch of shows that 'wouldn't get past a US network' could give tofu sales an unexpected lift

Arts and Entertainment

Superman comic-book receives record-breaking $2.2m bid on eBay...

books... but seller will be hoping for more

Arts and Entertainment

John Kearns winner of the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award with last years winners: Bridget Christie and Frank Skinner

Heard the one about the tour guide comedian?

comedyJohn Kearns becomes the first Free Fringe act to win the top prize

Arts and Entertainment

Professor Sue Vice

That memoir is a pack of lies? Just call it fiction

booksAcademic says we should not disregard books because they unexpectedly change genre

Arts and Entertainment

Jamie Muscato performs as Michael Crawford in Stars in Their Eyes

Stars In Their Eyes set to return to ITV

TV

Arts and Entertainment

‘Game of Thrones’

Game of Thrones producers defends sex and violence

TV

Most Shared
Most Viewed
Most Commented

Have you tried new the Independent Digital Edition apps?

SPONSORED FEATURES

i100: 17 things you won't miss about renting with friends

The housemates who label everything... and more.

Visit Kent Visit Essex Summer Listen

Holiday wardrobe Get Reddy Hemocyl

#editme StubHub Prizes & offers

Business videos

Visit Kent with Simon Calder

Simon Calder explores the delights of England’s Garden in the south-easternmost corner of Britain, now only a swift rail ride away. Watch the video here.

i100 Visit Essex Summer Listen

Holiday wardrobe Get Reddy Hemocyl

#editme StubHub Prizes & offers

Business videos

Visit Essex with Simon Calder

Simon Calder gets acquainted with the grassy hills, crinkled coastline and picture-perfect market towns of this dreamy rural haven. Watch the video here.

i100 Visit Kent Summer Listen

Holiday wardrobe Get Reddy Hemocyl

#editme StubHub Prizes & offers

Business videos

Forget top summer reads – here are our top five summer listens

Lounging by the poolside with a book – it’s perhaps the defining image of a civilised summer holiday. Free from the stresses of work, we can take the time to reacquaint ourselves with the classics – or perhaps indulge in something a little lighter.

i100 Visit Kent Visit Essex

Holiday wardrobe Get Reddy Hemocyl

#editme StubHub Prizes & offers

Business videos

Update your holiday wardrobe

Update your holiday wardrobe with tropical prints, the perfect pair of sandals and some seriously stylish swimwear to make a splash in. Bon voyage.

i100 Visit Kent Visit Essex

Summer Listen Get Reddy Hemocyl

#editme StubHub Prizes & offers

Business videos

Get Reddy

For a hint of autumnal elegance opt for boozy hues of tomato, rouge and claret. Get reddy says Melanie Wilkinson

i100 Visit Kent Visit Essex

Summer Listen Holiday wardrobe Hemocyl

#editme StubHub Prizes & offers

Business videos

Hemocyl - a revolutionary remedy for haemorrhoids

Embarrassment leads many to believe they are suffering alone. However half of the UK may suffer from haemorrhoids in their lifetime.

i100 Visit Kent Visit Essex

Summer Listen Holiday wardrobe Get Reddy

#editme StubHub Prizes & offers

Business videos

Get the look. See the trends.

Westfield and Snapfashion team up to create a new digital styling tool. Create a style board or browse this season's trends. #editme.

i100 Visit Kent Visit Essex

Summer Listen Holiday wardrobe Get Reddy

Hemocyl StubHub Prizes & offers

Business videos

Jake Bugg: "I’m the one I have to answer to…"

Fresh out of his teenage years, singer-songwriter Jake Bugg has achieved the kind of success that most aspiring musicians can merely dream of.

i100 Visit Kent Visit Essex

Summer Listen Holiday wardrobe Get Reddy

Hemocyl #editme Prizes & offers

Business videos

Enter the latest Independent competitions

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

i100 Visit Kent Visit Essex

Summer Listen Holiday wardrobe Get Reddy

Hemocyl #editme StubHub

Business videos

Business videos from commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

i100 Visit Kent Visit Essex

Summer Listen Holiday wardrobe Get Reddy

Hemocyl #editme StubHub

Prizes & offers

Independent Dating

Show Me

Between: and

Location:

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

Ukraine crisis: The phoney war is over as Russian troops and armour pour across the border

The phoney war is over

Russian troops and armour pour into Ukraine

Potatoes could be off the menu as crop pests threaten UK

Potatoes could be off the menu as crop pests threaten UK

The world’s entire food system is under attack - and Britain is most at risk, according to a new study

Gangnam smile: why the Chinese are flocking to South Korea to buy a new face

Gangnam smile: why the Chinese are flocking to South Korea to buy a new face

Seoul's plastic surgery industry is booming thanks to the popularity of the K-Pop look

Salomé's feminine wiles have inspired writers, painters and musicians for 2,000 years

Salomé: A head for seduction

Salomé's feminine wiles have inspired writers, painters and musicians for 2,000 years. Now audiences can meet the Biblical femme fatale in two new stage and screen projects

From Bram Stoker to Stanley Kubrick, the British Library's latest exhibition celebrates all things Gothic

British Library celebrates all things Gothic

Forthcoming exhibition Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination will be the UK's largest ever celebration of Gothic literature

The Hard Rock Café's owners are embroiled in a bitter legal dispute - but is the restaurant chain worth fighting for?

Is the Hard Rock Café worth fighting for?

The restaurant chain's owners are currently embroiled in a bitter legal dispute

Caribbean cuisine is becoming increasingly popular in the UK ... and there's more to it than jerk chicken at carnival

In search of Caribbean soul food

Caribbean cuisine is becoming increasingly popular in the UK ... and there's more to it than jerk chicken at carnival

11 best face powders

11 best face powders

Sweep away shiny skin with our pick of the best pressed and loose powder bases

England vs Norway: Roy Hodgson's hands tied by exploding top flight

Roy Hodgson's hands tied by exploding top flight

Lack of Englishmen at leading Premier League clubs leaves manager hamstrung

Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo: A tale of two Manchester United No 7s

Di Maria and Ronaldo: A tale of two Manchester United No 7s

They both inherited the iconic shirt at Old Trafford, but the £59.7m new boy is joining a club in a very different state

Israel-Gaza conflict: No victory for Israel despite weeks of death and devastation

Robert Fisk: No victory for Israel despite weeks of devastation

Palestinians have won: they are still in Gaza, and Hamas is still there

Mary Beard writes character reference for Twitter troll who called her a 'slut'

Unlikely friends: Mary Beard and the troll who called her a ‘filthy old slut’

The Cambridge University classicist even wrote the student a character reference

America’s new apartheid: Prosperous white districts are choosing to break away from black cities and go it alone

America’s new apartheid

Prosperous white districts are choosing to break away from black cities and go it alone

Amazon is buying Twitch for £600m - but why do people want to watch others playing Xbox?

What is the appeal of Twitch?

Amazon is buying the video-game-themed online streaming site for £600m - but why do people want to watch others playing Xbox?

Tip-tapping typewriters, ripe pongs and slides in the office: Bosses are inventing surprising ways of making us work harder

How bosses are making us work harder

As it is revealed that one newspaper office pumps out the sound of typewriters to increase productivity, Gillian Orr explores the other devices designed to motivate staff