Bachelorette

Like the music, there is always a vast amount of territory enclosed and in that same sense, Alpers covers a lot of ground with careful trepidation. The meticulous feel of the album stems from its creator and the calmness of the music is a sheer result of it.

This is the most comfortable Alpers has sounded making music, and the result is some of her best work yet.

Bachelorette is not as immediate or inviting as My Electric Family, but I'm hesitant to condemn it for this. It's simply a different listening experience, one which creates a different mood.

Much of the last half of the disc isn't quite as captivating as the first six or so songs, which may be chalked up to sonic fatigue--things not being changed up quite enough in the process--notwithstanding her apparent kiss-off, "Not Entertainment," which ends the record on a particularly memorable, strong moment that apes the sound of Vangelis of all things.

Although perhaps a bit overbearing at 11 songs, Bachelorette is a worthwhile collection of distinctive orchestrations that should propel Annabel Alpers even further into the limelight.

At home with a variety of tonal colors, Alpers is a basement Björk, stacking her multitracked voice until it hits the ceiling.

Bachelorette is undoubtedly a step forward from her previous work, but until she fully throws herself into it with abandon, both sides she's working here will invariably suffer.

There are still touches of the Streolab/Broadcast school of archaic electronics, but Alpers' melodies are now fuller and richer, and texturally Bachelorette brims with contrast. [Jul 2011, p.77]

If you're willing to fully take Alpers on her own terms, however, there's value in Bachelorette. Specifically, there are a few songs here with lovely vocal melodies and harmonies.