Bachelorette
Out 16 May
This self-titled album is the third full-length offering from Kiwi-born Bachelorette and once again showcases her psychedelic pop style. Before appearing on the scene in 2005 as Bachelorette, Annabel Alpers appeared in cult bands in her homeland such as the psychedelic surf outfit Hawaii Five-0, Space Dust and the Hiss Explosion. Now having developed her own unique style the benefits are there for all to see.
Listeners are instantly taken on a space age journey with influences from earth such as cathedral chimes in Oxford twisted and melded through a surreal galaxy.
The surreal essence of the album is immediate and says much about Alpers post-graduate studies in computer based composition at the University of Canterbury and Auckland in New Zealand. She may have departed from her homeland to be based on the East Coast of the United States but she has stayed firmly to her roots.
Her fascination with systems and mechamisms is shown in her complex sound layered together with a vareity of instruments and sounds such as a strummed guitar in The Light Seekers, and a simple whistle filtered through synchs in Tui Tui. The one constant, however, is Bachelorette's ethereal lead vocal.
This may well appeal to those with a love for minimalist electro but for many it lacks the wider appeal. Each track taken on it's own showcases her unique talent but when taken as a whole it can at times pepper the listener without any chance of a break.
For true lovers of Bachelorette this may well be seen as her coming of age, however, it is unlikely to be viewed as a masterpiece by a wider audience.
Verdict: 4/5