Dot Allison
Beneath The Ivy EP

This EP from Dot Allison – who used to sing in One Dove, fact fans! – represents, says the press release, a new direction in her song writing. This new direction manifests itself in the form of that kinda counter-intuitive full-band-acoustic music, as mastered by Mazzy Star. Harmonicas, violins, guitars, tinkling noises, the odd bit of sampling, a heavy emphasis on vocals, and those vocals are high-pitched, often kinda breathy but still tuneful, and are very emotional in a spaced out, artistic-distance way. As is traditional in these cases, the vocal subject matter tends towards love, with a particular emphasis on that inexplicably popular “love = emotional pain – and that’s cool!” strain of thought.

You get the (aural) picture? Cool. Well, then: those who dig this kind of noise in general may well find something here to enjoy. There’s plenty going on; it’s a complex, delicate sound; and there’s plenty of variety in the range of sounds used. For myself, though, this is just simultaneously emotionally over-earnest and far too limply pretty, and my overwhelming reaction is simply to mutter,_ “Oh, stop mithering,”_ and press stop.