Over thirteen years and now nine albums, Liverpool-to-Newcastle singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams has shown a consistent willingness to mix things up: changing collaborators record to record, releasing a well-received album of covers, Relations, in 2004, and even working on a children's music project under the name The Crayonettes.  So it really shouldn't surprise too greatly that Williams, who's invited comparisons over the years from Joni Mitchell to Beth Orton, has done another shift: teaming with musicians Simon Edwards and Ginny Clee to form The Pond. 

While sounding nothing like the trippy Tame Impala offshoot Pond, The Pond nevertheless represents a change for Williams, incorporating beats like she's never done before on "The Art of Doing Nothing" and "Evening Star", an animated, late-album surprise. More surprising still is the mystical, sprite-like "The River",  while "Memory Let Down" offers haunting, spare piano, "Hard Shoulder" is a shuffling breakup ode, and "End Of the Pier" takes a sweet, dark turn. 

Here's what they've been saying about Williams' latest project: 

Music OMH: "Kathryn Williams is clearly no longer happy to solely plough her own artistic furrow to an appreciative cult audience. Her debut with The Pond is a commendably excellent example of an established artist making a real step forward."

The Silver Tongue: "Williams’ new musical collaboration leaves us perplexed by its unpredictability and wild concoctions."

The Line of Best Fit: "I just feel clean. It’s a milky folk bath with none of the repercussions of normal folk. Listen to ‘The River’ or ‘Carved’ for downbeat, ‘Pass Us By’ for upbeat, and ‘Bebop’ for genre-twisting. Or just stop looking for 3 minute pick-me-ups and listen to the whole album. You won’t regret it."

And that from a guy who says he doesn't normally like folk. Discover Kathryn Williams' latest musical advenure, with The Pond.