Bess of Bedlam - Folly Tales (2018)

For fans of Joanna Newsom, Broadcast and Shirley Collins. A resident of Lyon, Fanny L'Héritier is Bess of Bedlam. She is also the lead singer of the French experimental pop band Odessey and Oracle. Her arrangements employ a variety of instruments (classical and electromechanical pianos, 70's analogue synthesizers, acoustic and electric guitars, banjo and dobro) with charm, whimsy and humour. Additional instrumentation and studio duties by fellow Odessey and Oracle member Guillaume Médioni. Literature and music have frequently depicted Bethlem or Bedlam as a land of fools or the Babylon of degenerates since its foundation in 15th Century London. In 1683 Henry Purcell published From Silent Shades - introducing "Mad Bess" to the world. Bess escaped her imprisonment to tell the tale through the veil of the English Restoration.

Bess Of Bedlam is Inspired by Purcell's vision and more recent English folk voices such as Shirley Collins, Linda Perhacs and Vashti Bunyan, with a 60's psychedelic pop sensibility from the likes of The Free Design, The United States of America and Sagittarius flavouring her sound.