Arlissa bit of this, Arlissa bit of that

You may have heard of Arlissa late last year, when she gave the ultimate two fingers to her ex-boyfriend - by recording a song about their break-up with his favourite artist, Nas. Hard To Love Somebody was good enough to get Arlissa (pronounced Ar-Leesa) onto the BBC Sound of 2013 longlist, and the New Year episode of Top Of The Pops, where she premiered her follow-up single Sticks and Stones.

It's a great song. Shivering on the misty battle lines of a torrid relationship, Arlissa pleads with a lover, whose "bullets shoot down my faith and my body". It's a lazy comparison to says she sounds like Kate Bush - but Arlissa actively encourages it: "Kate Bush is my biggest influence. I'd like a career like hers," she told the Guardian last year.

The video has a curiously unsettling tone - lots of shots of warthogs and shetland ponies and what appears to be a goat brothel - but it also reminds me of Wes Anderson's excellent Moonrise Kingdom, which is no bad thing.

NB: It may have come to your attention that Arlissa is quite gorgeous. If so, you will be pleased to hear that the video makes no attempt to disguise it.

Arlissa - Sticks and Stones

Sticks and Stones is out on London Records in March.

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