The press release describes the album as ‘hauntologically pop, fragile and with a twisted psychedelic Beach Boys side’ and alludes to Esa Shields’ ‘androgynous’ voice. And yes, her voice is certainly unusual. In fact, while Shields may be a native and resident of Liverpool, she sounds like she’s not of this planet, and the unusual musical accompaniment only accentuates this sense of otherness.
Primitive drum machines click time beneath piping synths that bend and warp and trill in a bubble of analogue fuzz. Surreal lyrics drift through surreal soundscapes, Like a synth-based Young Marble Giants, there’s a sparseness to Shields’ compositions, while the counter-melodies and unusual keys are reminiscent of early Pram.
Curious, quaint and at times quite, quite mad, ‘Ovum Caper’ nevertheless contains some magical moments and sits in a niche all of its own.
Esa Shields Online
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