There is something of the Montrealer Erika Angell in Claire Dickson, the voice and its raw expressiveness. Add the pop brightness of Final Fantasy, the abstract pointillism, here and there, of Webern in a seductive tonal veil, a subtly jazzed-up dressing, and you start to get an idea. In Hurt Me, the Berlin-based lady even dares some well-placed Drum’n’Bass bursts.
Balance is a sober musical aperitif of about thirty minutes that we fully savour and to which we often want to return because we discover new textures, a new palette of complexity, and astonishing sensory tingles each time.
Dickson explores themes such as order and chaos as embodied by her own personal growth. Her mastery of the codes of experimental music, but in very user-friendly attire, makes the experience as satisfying for the emotions as it is stimulating for the mind.
One of the best dream/ambient-pop releases in a long time.
Claire Dickson, voice, electronics
Zoh Amba, tenor saxophone (tracks 1,2)
Lesley Mok, drums (tracks 1,2)
Cleek Schrey, violin (tracks 4, 5, 7)
Lex Korten, piano (tracks 1, 2, 3)
Maya Keren, piano (tracks 4, 5, 6, 7)
Jon Starks, drums (tracks 5, 6, 7)
Kitba, harp (tracks 4, 5)
