Album Review: Poliça - Shulamith

Poliça
Shulamith
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Poliça's 2012 debut Give You The Ghost failed to resonate much with me. While the music, a combination of Portishead's millennial dread and lush synth pop, consistently drew me in, vocalist Channy Leaneagh's voice, which was auto-tuned and manipulated within an inch of her life, kept me at a distance. I was intrigued yet also irritated, to the point I couldn't be bothered much to give them a bigger chance. Sophomore release Shulamith doesn't change up their approach too much, however, possibly because of relentless touring, this record has a more direct sense of purpose and direction, reeling in their more proggy aspects and flights of fancy for pointed excursions. While Shulamith might lack Give You The Ghost's go-for-broke attitude, its more measure approach suits the band better.

And Shulamith truly soars when they stick to this approach. From the upbeat synthpop workout on opener "Chain My Name," which unfortunately leans a little too heavy on the annoying vocal manipulations of their debut,



to more solemn numbers like the noir drone of "Smug,"



and the Portishead indebted menace of the creeping "Very Cruel,"



Poliça sounds completely in control of their sound, forging a path that at times seems unwavering. This more hemmed in sound benefits them as it keeps them from wandering off into more esoteric territory. This is most apparent on two tracks, the lovely collaboration with Justin Vernon, "Tiff," which lopes and unfurls with calm, dreamy wonder, never trying to be more than it is,



and in the sensual pulse and pull of "I Need $," whose delicate play of synths wash over you like a warm air.



I still sense throughout Shulamith that Poliça is still tinkering with where they want to go, unsure at times, and falling back into old patterns that somewhat disrupt the record, especially on the back half. From the ethereal meanderings and overly processed vocals of "Warrior Lord," muddled dance punk of "Spilling Lines," to the sputtering and stuttering "Matty," that never quite pulls itself together into something cohesive, these tracks while not forcing the record to a full stop, definitely provide a few road blocks along the way.

For Poliça, Shulamith is a definite step forward for them in developing a signature sound that delineates themselves in the crowded indie-electronic field. Their struggle to reign in their more florid impulses creates some interesting tension throughout the record, though sometimes leading them to go a little too over the top. With a little more fine-tuning, I can easily see a masterful record coming from them.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.