It's like a '60s movie soundtrack with unbelievably arresting, timeless vocals, garnished with furious flashes of more modern genres here and there, from disco, to pop, and beyond.
For instance: Bernard Herrmann-esque strings screech and flutter in the background on "The Crow" when a thundering, distorted NiN sledgehammer smacks you upside the head, dragging the tempo into deliciousIt's like a '60s movie soundtrack with unbelievably arresting, timeless vocals, garnished with furious flashes of more modern genres here and there, from disco, to pop, and beyond.
For instance: Bernard Herrmann-esque strings screech and flutter in the background on "The Crow" when a thundering, distorted NiN sledgehammer smacks you upside the head, dragging the tempo into delicious muddy waters, before leaping back into the Hitchcockian soundscape.
The ethereal opener "Canary" seems yanked straight from Rosemary's Baby, when a Jazzy drum frenzy breaks things right down, again fracturing the song in a jarring yet almost monumental way, like a submarine surfacing by your eardrums. The dreamy, androgynous vocals keep things from ever feeling out of control, however, which is true for most of the album. Her vocals are the breadcrumb trail back to reality, reminding you that a motherly narrator out of time is guiding you through your dark musical journey.
It has my favourite song in maybe seven years on it, "Daddy Long Legs." It makes you nostalgic for something you can't put your finger on, and never fails to put a smile on my face with its Bewitched-style percussion and jangle piano.
"Shimmy" is another classic-sounding gem, tricking you with old-timey piano complete with authentic hiss, before catapulting you onto a '70s dance floor with blissful, bouncy bass-lines and a soaring vocal, then finally bringing the two together in a marriage you never imagined would succeed.
The beautiful album closer arrives, no differently than the end of a tense horror classic, drifting into a dreamy state of calm, but picking up pace as it shifts over to the curtain call, saying goodbye to the listener with a smile and a bow.
It's a stunning piece of work, masterfully done, and rough in the very best ways. My favourite album in a long, long time.… Expand