Polica
Shulamith
Reviewed by: Lexi Bissonnette
Polica released their second album, Shulamith. It’s 12 tracks and ironically it was named after a Canadian feminist. Also ironic due to the somewhat graphic nature of the cover. True to their first release, this album still plays up auto-tuning and moody. In some instances the auto-tuning drowns out the power of their music, as well as causing a garbled hard to comprehend effect. The album’s musical background is fantastic. A blend of eerie beats and strong drums it is clear the strong suit for the band is music, not vocals.
The tracks on the album don’t blend together but do have a connected feel. Some ranged from dark and soulful to almost pop-like with lyrics that varied as well. “Chain My Name” and “Matty” were songs that seemed to be delivering a social message. “Tiff” was more random in the lyrics but seemed to have the most pleasant sound from all the tracks, a real strong blend of the synth and the organic. Perhaps the albums biggest downfall was “Very Cruel”. While enjoyable, the track itself was hard on the ears and not a sound I enjoyed.
Overall the album was a strong blend of synth and organic sounds that fits perfectly with the vocal arrangement. Perhaps a little more time on perfecting the synth methods in the some tracks though.
Rating: Listenable
