Laki Mera - The Proximity Effect

  by Andy Cassidy

published: 23 / 7 / 2011

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Review

'The Proximity Effect' is the second full-length album from Glasgow’s Laki Mera, and it carries on seamlessly from where the 'Clutter' album and 'More Than You' EP left off. As I sat through the first four songs, I found that I wasn’t particularly enjoying the album. I felt, on the first listen, that the production was too sparse and left too much empty atmosphere on the tracks – at times I felt that all I could hear was a lead vocal and what seemed like a very basic, possibly programmed, rhythm section. When I listened to track five (the magnificent near-instrumental 'Onion Machine' with a cello part reminiscent of 'Good Vibrations'), I realised that this subtlety in the mix was deliberate, and I began to involve myself more in the music – it almost seems as though the space on the tracks is left, like an empty place at a dinner table, for the listener to join in and become part of the recording. Vocalist Laura Donnelly has a soft yet powerful voice, and copes effortlessly with sometimes complex melody lines. Her double tracked vocal on 'Fool' is technically accomplished and harmonically spot-on. The overall sound of the album is difficult to pin down: there are moments of 'Missing' era Everything But The Girl (Fool), and a seemingly new genre of folk trip-hop (on 'The Beginning of the End' and 'Reverberation' in particular). Elsewhere, there are flashes of the Cocteau Twins and Goldfrapp, but throughout an air of real originality shines through, overshadowing any comparisons. The band describe themselves as “folktronic,” and it’s difficult to argue with a portmanteau which fits them so well – yes, there are elements of folk and elements of electronica, but this does seem like a new genre rather than a fusion of existing styles. It is not, however, the genre that makes this album special; rather, it is the combination of Laura Donnelly’s voice and some fantastic musicianship. An EP version of 'Fool' (featuring the album track Double Back and a radio edit of Fingertips)is scheduled for release in August – it is the obvious single, closely followed by 'More Than You'; both tracks are as close as Laki Mera come to mainstream. Overall, this is a particularly rewarding album, at once challenging and comfortable, strange yet familiar. The balance of traditional and contemporary instruments and styles is judged perfectly, with neither shading the other. If you happen to have fifty-odd minutes to spare, you could do much worse than to sit down in a comfortable chair and listen to this album.

Track Listing:-

1 The Beginning Of The End
2 More Than You
3 Fingertips
4 Double Back
5 Onion Machine
6 How Dare You
7 Crater
8 Solstice
9 Pollak Park
10 Fool
11 Reverberation
12 The End Of The Beginning