Marie Monday

I finally listened to Stepmother City too.

There are lots of different things going on here. Sometimes the transitions between different vibes are a bit jarring, but it makes for an engaging album. At the start I had to get used to the flute and vocals, because of the faint association with typical faux-exotic music sounds. That's not this record's fault though, and it becomes clear soon that it's not a fair comparison. Once the beat kicks in and the music changes I like the vocals (they are so varied throughout the album and generally I enjoy them a lot), and the guitar (?) that comes in at some point. The mellow earlier tracks are enjoyable to me in a similar way to Juana Molina's music. Order to Survive breaks with the mellowness and it also ****ing slays. Here is the only bit that really reminds me of free jazz (the wind instruments). The vocals get weird and briefly channel Yoko Ono. From here on the album stays more eccentric. Sometimes it tends a little towards the musical equivalent of pastel colours I think, but mostly it's exciting, and the music is well layered and intricate. I enjoy the bass a lot, and the percussion. Especially in Lonely Soul, and in combination with the bells at the start of that track. Lonely Soul also has some great singing again in various styles: I love that it has both some of the weirdest and most conventional vocals, both of which are moving and work well. Good rec! 7.5/10

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