Review Summary: A window into your dreams
C.G. Jung believed that our dreams didn't so much as conceal our subconscious desires like some of his other contemporaries, on the contrary, he thought that our dreams were more like windows to view our unconscious. This ambiguous world that our dreams, perhaps even our memories and desires, occupy is a world that Lisa Alma chooses to explore in her self titled debut.
Her music embodies a dream-like world with subtle hints of 80's pop, which are stripped down to their bare bones. The arrangements are minimalistic, putting a much greater attention on Alma's detached and meditative voice. Due to their simple approach the songs mimic the way our dreams focus on the fringes of our conscious reality, often times skipping over important parts of our physical existence and in this way the listener is treated to the fragmentary nature of Alma's dejected and reflective lyrics. "J.T." is a prime example of this, as the danceable beat is undressed and left vulnerable while Lisa recounts a mournful tale of solitude. The cheerful manner of her singing and processed looped vocals are enchanting, as we too may conceivably search our memories for those fleeting moments we share in common with her. Another great example, "Spaced Out" lets Lisa vocals develop over a disconnected piano line as her repeated lines of, "We don't care", echo on and on, slowly winding down like an old clock. The danceable 80's pop beats, which seem to be promised throughout the record, are finally given up on the excellent closer, "Outbalance (SCHAARUP Remix)".
Some would contend that this dreamy pop universe has been done before and with better results in the music of James Blake or Rhye who rely much more on their use of electronic samples and soulful compositions, respectively. These people would find most of Alma's songs to be nothing more than a voice recorded over electronic meandering, a scampering, purposeless affair, but one must again go to the source, where Lisa herself states, "music is silence and sound". In that respect, Alma does a wonderful job of inhabiting this dreamy experience and ethereal realm, embodying both the waking and sleeping aspects of our dreams and psyche.
