Dubliner Cathy Davey has one huge thing going for her: she genuinely doesn't sound like anyone else. True, parts of this debut album could be compared to either a rockier Aimee Mann or a less threatening PJ Harvey. Ultimately, however, Davey's haunting songs have a mysteriously oblique quality that's all her very own. And while she may technically come under the singer-songwriter label, her angular guitar sound is far more dynamic and creative than most of the dreary mush that comes from that particular quarter these days. Something Ilk starts with a bang, the first four tracks all revolving around taut basslines and instantly catchy choruses. From there on the songs become slower and less immediate, but ultimately they're just as rewarding. It's impossible to tell where Davey will go after this exceptional beginning - which, of course, only makes her all the more intriguing.

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