Australian DIY songwriter Leah Kardos crosses the boundaries here between ambient, classical and folktronica, citing wide-ranging influences from electronic acts Bjork and Amon Tobin to minimalist/soundtrack specialists Cage, Glass, and Riley.

Influences can sometimes be subtle, but Kardos's are more on the surface, using her inspirations as a platform for Feather Hammer's finely balanced collection of avant garde acoustic/classical pieces, balanced by more emotive piano-led tracks. There is no singing on the album.

The piano is a vital element of Kardos's sound, and she expresses herself beautifully with the instrument, using it to project maudlin communicative tones on the one hand, and light, sprinkling nostalgia-fuelled ambient electronica on the other. Piano is often accompanied by spliced vocal samples and/or minimal electronics, and it's easy to become more attracted to those tracks as I find the more avant-garde side of Kardos's work is sometimes a bit juddering and hard to place.

Having said that, there is a temptation to want everything to sound melodic, when, within the context of the entire album, Kardos's more darker, stilted offerings do have the positive effect of breaking up the mood of the album, however uncomfortably.

When Kardos plays piano more expressively, Feather Hammer springs into life, particularly on Katerina, when accompanied by the gentle strains of acoustic guitar, and the excellent, spliced-up electronica of Repeater. Meanwhile, the shifting, nervous Concentrate, You uses piano in a different way, elongated the effect of struck notes to provide drone-like ambiences with phased percussive effects adding a dreamlike, yet nightmarish quality.

Apology is another delightful piece, with chattering piano providing an underbelly for higher placed notes signifying a multitide of emotions, from hope to despair, later accompanied by interweaving vocal samples that add a deeply atmospheric, yet personal touch.

Feather Hammer is a quality release by Kardos, exploring a wide range of emotions through her instrument of choice, and complementing it very well with the addition of acoustics, percussion and sampling. But most of all, Kardos makes a wonderful job of bringing displaced thoughts back to life through her music - whether delicate or challenging, she does not shy away, but confronts, thus ensuring her music communicates with the listener on an emotive level.