| behind ostensibly shy, almost withdrawn vocals valerie is by no means coyabout confronting the world¹s ambivalent status quo, bluntly documentingcurrent conditions underneath putative fragility. and the music, too,demands our full attention. between hummable chords and sometimes soothing,almost hypnotic monotony, each repetition discloses multi-layered complexityas well as cleverly hidden counterpoints. no matter if atmospheric(satur-nine), exuding classical warmth (contratempo, lowdown) or quietlybreathy (scary world theory)  again and again lali puna tear heartbreakingharmonies from the sparsest of arrangements. 50 faces of rewinds the beatto move our feet with funky house breaks, intersected by stubbornly chirpingelectronics.nevertheless, lali puna¹s precision is best revealed on nin-com-pop or don¹tthink  here seemingly unemotional reduction coaxes its way into our earswith unflustered self-confidence and refuses to go awayproduced by mario thaler (a.o. notwist, slut) "scary world theory" is aconfidently melancholic album quite happy with itself. and willing tospread that happiness. if we¹re prepared to let it enter our lives, thatis. "every time i play the record to someone, they fall in love with the musicand i simply have to let them have it. coward that i am, i¹m on my fourthcopy now." (colin greenwood, radiohead on "tridecoder") |
