We'll Meet Again
Ditte Elly
8-out-of-10
We'll Meet Again by fledgling UK artist Ditte Elly is an enchanting five song EP. It may be short in length, but this album is brimming with character, passion, and talent.
With influence drawn heavily from Laura Marling and Joanna Newsom, Elly sings rich poetry with a hushed tenor over finger picked classical guitar. She strings together beautiful melodies and matches it with flowing and lilting lyrics, much in the style of Marling.
Her writing style is almost typical of British folk artists, storytelling with folklore flair. Filled with beautiful imagery and pleasing to all senses, there also is a moral present in the words. Again, much like Marling, there seems to be so much that Elly knows that the listener is ignorant of, like she is the keeper of charming secrets.
This album is also astounding musically. Elly's guitar playing is spot on, portraying emotion as well as control. The wonderfully soothing sound of the classical guitar, opposed to a steel string, suits her voice and the overall mood of the album. The incredible harmonies and singing at the end of "Northumberland" and the intriguing piano instrumental "We See Circles" completely threw out any doubts I had about this album.
We'll Meet Again is an understated beauty masterfully crafted to be wistful yet strong and powerful. Elly straddles the line between effortless and unsure, all the while cementing the fact that we will definitely be hearing more from her. I only wish this album was longer.
-SEAN CRAIB-PETKAU
Blooming Summer
Blue Hawaii
9-out-of-10
When I think about Montreal, I think about easily accessible alcohol, poutine, and terrible drivers. Apparently, though, I should be thinking about electronic music. Exploding out of Montreal over the past few years is a powerful wave of electronic artists crafting all sorts of ethereal dream pop. I'll admit I can't really tell them all apart all the time, but at present I'm really digging the heavy synth pop of Blue Hawaii.
Again, I'll admit that I'm late to the party. Released way back in 2010, Blooming Summer is an exciting mixture of thick bass beats, insanely catchy synth melodies and a hauntingly thin female vocal. Nearly every component is completely drenched in thick, juicy reverb and the percussive elements strike sharply, a really nice contrast.
I really like how these songs seem stripped down but at the same time like a wall of sound. Pulses of synths, beeps and boops, clicks, clacks, and slaps migrate across a very wide soundscape to create incredibly deep and dense music.
Aside from talking in circles, I can say with certainty that Blooming Summer is a day dreamer's record. It's easy to get lost in the thick of it, the waves of sound that wash in and out; breaking and building like swells on the beach. There are many reasons that the term 'dream pop' was coined, and this record is great example of one.
-SEAN CRAIB-PETKAU
