A Secret Code
Neuma, 2021
8/10
The always exceptional Pamela Z returns with another album of iconoclastic music, where her multifaceted vision radiates in minimal and busy surroundings that are animated, clever and unpredictable.
“Quatre Couches/Flare Stains” starts the listen with an artistic and blurry vocal layering display that’s highly experimental and fascinating, and “Unknown Person (From Baggage Allowance)” follows with soft, expressive singing as an a cappella presence is nothing short of sublime.
At the midpoint, “Site Four (From Occupy)” offers a hypnotic approach of pulsating electronics as dreamy singing guides the various vocal inflections, while “Typewriter” is 2+ minutes of the sound of a typewriter alongside spoken word. “He Says Yes (From Echo)”, an album highlight, then brings a barrage of organic and synthetic sounds that are as quirky as they are innovative.
Nearing the end, “Timepiece Triptych: Syrinx” places the sounds of birds and owls into a uniquely soothing landscape, and “Timepiece Triptych: De-Spangled” exits the listen with a gentle droning as operatic singing unfolds amid complicated sonic layers.
This is Z’s 3rd album and first since 2004’s A Delay Is Better, and let’s hope the time before the next one isn’t quite as long, cause her voice manipulation, electronic gesturing and found object noises are nothing short of captivating.
Travels well with: Phillip Blackburn- Justinian Intonations; Agnese Toniutti- Subtle Matters