CAROLINE
The Cure’s keyboardist since Disintegration, Roger O’Donnell is respected outside the band for his classical work. Beginning writing after The Cure’s 2018 world tour, O’Donnell wanted to capture the isolation of his life in the Devon countryside. Wreathed in a spectral beauty, the instrumental half of O’Donnell’s fifth solo album is sparse and elegant. Introduced via a mutual friend, the rest features lyrics and vocals by Jennifer Pague, whose simple, haunting voice is accompanied by unsettling imagery – Don’t Tell Me, for instance, could be Beth Gibbons reunited with Rustin Man. The closing I’ll Say Goodnight is most in tune with O’Donnell’s day job, mischievous enough to belong on Wish. It certainly won’t give any insight into what The Cure will do next, but 2 Ravens certainly possesses a bewitching allure all of its own.