An elegant record, Emma Anderson's debut solo album is here this week. She did, of course, offer up some wonderful music with Sing-Sing following the demise of Lush, but Pearlies is her first full release under her own name. With help from Richard Oakes (Suede) and James Chapman (Maps), the sound here is quite a bit more than Lovelife Part II though.
"Bend the Round" and "I Was Miles Away" are, for lack of a better word, dreamy, while the sharper "Inter Light" suggests recent work by Dot Allison and earlier efforts by Goldfrapp. It's an affecting track, with a real filmic quality to it. "Taste the Air", a real highlight here, is precise and deliberate in its effect. The instrumentation is sparse but the pieces here -- keyboards, samples, etc. -- build a mood behind Anderon's vocals. There's a mournful, and yet resigned and contented quality to Emma's voice, and it's the same quality that made songs like "Olympia" so memorable. Things haven't changed too much here in 2023, and lots of this will please fans of her earlier band, even as the soundscapes briefly veer off into other stylistic territories.
One wonders how much Emma Anderson is willing to tolerate so many Lush references from reviewers of Pearlies, but how to avoid them? So much of this compares favorably to the more down-tempo, ruminative numbers off their albums that such comparisons are hard to avoid. That said, "Tonight is Mine", like many tracks here, stands on its own and is the sort of thing that should have considerable appeal even if you've never heard Split. A more apt comparison may be the recent Dot Allison albums. Emma is venturing into the same sort of lane here, blending an airy electronica with vocals that can fitfully be compared to those of English folk performers from decades ago. There's a spacious-yet-heartfelt vibe running all through this record, and Pearlies is quite emotional in its own sedate way. There's a lot of heart in this, even if the mood is more austere than shoegaze. And I for one found Pearlies quite engaging on its very specific terms.
Pearlies by Emma Anderson will be out on Sonic Cathedral this week.
[Photo: Brian David Stevens / Emma Anderson Bandcamp]