Mood and atmosphere are king and queen on Jessica Bailiff's
sophomore effort. That's not to suggest that her melodies are slack
("Warren" and "Across The Miles" are both memorable and quite lovely) or
that her lyrics don't hold up (the latter song is a rather sweet evocation
of loneliness). Rather, it's an acknowledgement of the scrupulous attention
that she and Alan Sparhawk have paid to layering artfully blurred guitar
tones, distantly echoing keyboard sounds, and her measured, breathy vocals
into obliquely lit, beautifully contoured sonic topographies.
The depth of
their arrangements and the cool, shimmering beauty of their selected sounds
dominate her simple, deliberate tunes. The album's centerpiece isn't a song
at all but an ambitious instrumental called "How Our Perception Of Distance
Is Changed With Each Passing Hour." A series of delicate synth voices,
crushingly heavy massed guitars, and gradually mutauting loops overlay the
distant clatter of something that just might be a film projector. Their's
plenty of pretty, atmospheric music floating around, but this piece stops
time - no mean feat!
If you like Jessica Bailiff, check out:
Low Secret Name
Joy Division Closer
My Bloody Valentine Loveless
Windy & Carl Depths
