Review Summary: The orchestrated triumph of a seemingly impossible union
If there is one good thing that have come out of Donald Trump's presidency is that it has rekindled a flame in the heart of many artists around the globe. It may be fueled by hate, despair or any other negative expression of the soul you can imagine but it has promoted an astonishing flux of new music from old bands awaken from their slumber as well as new voices motivated by the convoluted political climate.
In the middle road we have Poliça. The Minneapolis trip hop act that made a discipline out of auto-tune with their debut
Give You The Ghost and drew the attention of personalities like Justin Vernon with whom they collaborated in their follow up,
Shulamith are one of many artists moved by the urgent need of calling out the world; like the title states, this is
Music For The Long Emergency.
Poliça's collaboration with German chamber orchestra s t a r g a z e was born as a rendition of Steve Reich's
Music for Pieces of Wood, which later translated into several explosive shows that combined Poliça's 2 drummer hammering synth pop with the classical sounds of the unconventional ensemble directed by visionary conductor Andre de Ridder. The project turned to be a success for both parts involved so the recording in album form began last year and resulted in this collaboration, which has been described by different media as “a soundtrack for the end of the world.“
Poliça's last entry is a strange one though; it bounces with violence from one musical spectrum to the other leaving a trace of mild confusion. Take the plucked strings that drive opening track "Fake Like", they combine with Channy Leaneagh's voice in an modest manner, leaving her voice to shine in the spotlight of a song that feels like a radiant bath of morning sunlight, but then the whole tone of the album quickly bounces back to the shadows with a furious track called "Marrow", where strings are now unleashed while Channy's distorted voice slowly succumbs to the raging beating of drummers Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu for old times' sake. "Speaking of a Ghost" and "Agree" mark a moment of clarity for the album, a brief respite before the forthcoming storm. Auto-tune is back in these two tracks, although not as intense as in Poliça's debut, it is still noticeable but it doesn't feel grating or abused, especially in single "Agree" where Channy’s melodies fit perfectly with the easy-to-overuse effect.
Come second half and things start to feel like a descent into hell, with Cerberus in this case being "Cursed", an enraged electro tune reminiscent of 90s UK band Senser that, in spite of being out of place where compared to the previous track it actually has a mission in the two behemoth tracks that follow. "How Is This Happening" was written the day after Trump's victory and according to Leaneagh, it served as a "therapy" for the frustration that ensued. Where in "Cursed" the orchestra is engulfed by a typhoon of synths and the unstoppable momentum of Poliça's two drummers, they reappear in the 9 minute elegy, but this time they sound wounded, almost agonizing, like if they were struggling to fight back the voltaic hexing that minute by minute starts to take hold of them. Same thing is experienced by Channy's voice, who sings the title almost in disbelief while her voice gets swallowed by effects until she is replaced by a somber trip hop beat that vanishes into a bleak landscape of tortured strings and hymnal winds.
Music For The Long Emergency closes on a brighter note though, defiant and unyielding against the future that has been imposed against its will. The title and closing track first crawls and finally rises with what is probably the highest level of rapport between the two groups. An imposing synthetic sound fights its way to the surface like a howling beast only to be defeated by the singer’s faithful mantra and a rejuvenated orchestra, symbolizing a hypothetical triumph over the relentless evil represented here by "Cursed".
Polica and s t a r g a z e have created a fascinating album, where Poliça's electronic roots strife with the collected character of a classic ensemble in a quest for balance and harmony. It is undeniable that, as a whole,
Music For The Long Emergency suffers from being a slightly disjointed concept when looking into tagging it as an specific musical genre, but it is in the album’s multi-colored nature where the beauty resides, same as the world we live in, isn't it?
