Hauntingly Disjointed
Eliza Newman is a woman who has more or less been there and done it all. At just sixteen she fronted one of the most popular bands to come out of Iceland, the all girl punk rock outfit Bellatrix and having reached the dizzy heights of performing on the Carling stage at Reading, she took time out to study opera in London before again starting a band, Skandanavia. For many this would have been enough but it seems Eliza isn't quite ready to step away from music and having covered most other areas she’s now released her debut solo album, ‘Empire Fall’. Still wielding a voice that is as beautiful as it is haunting, you can’t help but hold high hopes for her new approach but as ‘Empire Fall’ proves, you shouldn’t judge on what’s come before.
Kicking off with the title track, ‘Empire Fall’ starts on a positive footing. Post punk bass lines swarm together as Eliza’s voice delivers a sultry yet slightly unnerving performance that excites and scares all at once. From this though things change quite dramatically as ‘Diamond’ makes its fragile entrance with the bass sidelined almost entirely to make way for a twinkling indie pop beat and wave of melodic finery. Add to this Eliza’s now heart tugging voice and suddenly the album has turned a complete 360, changing entirely within the space of two songs until you are left slightly confused and dazed, unsure whether you are unquestionably in love with its mesmerising pull or saddened but its disjointedness. Ultimately though there is not time to decide as things continue to chop and change, as the post rock of ‘Deep Blue’ gives way to the whimsical ambience of ‘Secret Landscape’ and that’s not forgetting ‘Still Waters’, a track for which any drummer would be in their element as the skins are pounded to within an inch of their lives, overshadowing the one thing that retains your attention throughout the album; the magnetism of Eliza’s voice.
For all its disjointedness though there is still something wonderful about ‘Empire Fall’ that will not let you completely push the album to one side. The Icelandic wonder that is ‘Hjartagull’ for example is spine tingling as Icelandic lyrics are yelled and screeched with unflinching assertiveness, terrifying all into submission. As is befitting with the trend of ‘Empire Fall’ though the other highlight of the album is once again a track that is completely different to ‘Hjartagull’. With frosty vocals and a chillingly eerie start that builds momentum closing track ‘Stone Heart’ is engagingly enthralling, showcasing Eliza at her best and in all her unhinged mesmerising splendour.
With sparkling melodies and exhilarating vocals weaving their way through each track Eliza has insured that her songs touch all and whilst they all seem lacking in continuity when clumped together on the album, as individual tracks they are compellingly wonderful if only they didn’t have to stand side by side.