My first thought on hearing the opening track, 'He Du' was 'bloody hell!' As low-fi, scuzzy rackets go, this is pretty low-fi and scuzzy, structurally all over the shop and topped by a strange falsetto whoop of a vocal. This thought was quickly followed by 'Christ almighty!' when 'Filade' kicked in. The CD cover shows it as having a running time of 3:60, too. Perhaps this provides something of an insight into the world of Anne Rolfs, aka Allroh: she clearly isn't on the same planet as the rest of us, and isn't bound by the constraints of time, space or key or tempo. Still, the credits also give us some clues regarding the uncluttered, rough and ready sound. Recorded and mixed by Steve Albini and mastered by Bob Weston, 'Hag Dec' has an unmistakable immediacy and directness, a purity of sorts.
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Imagine Pavement's early EPs, but instead of Stephen Malkmus, the vocals were performed by Devandra Banhart on helium, while tripping, and you have an idea of Allroh's sound.
'Ma & Pa' has a distinctly eastern vibe, but again, it's a weird, psychedelic take on things, and Allroh's vocals are just so far out (man), and while they're certainly unique, they're not entirely easy on the ear. And yet, there remains something compelling about this album. It just takes some time to adjust to her sound.
www.myspace.com/allroh
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