:: Alu - Infomercial Gasmask

Alu

An album of vocal beauty is my observation about this release. Alu is an independent artist from California and she pulls you into her world through lyrics and music that even when the themes may be dramatic and desperate at times, provides a unique charm in the melodies and textures. For accompaniments, there are gorgeous synth sounds, string arrangements and drum programming. An impressive array of talent was brought together to make this album: Doctor Echo (electronica dub artist), Hiro Goto (string arrangements), and Geza X (sound engineer) to name a few. The resulting collaboration is a solid piece of work, rendered so cleanly, you could hear a pin drop. But it’s all about Alu’s majestic, soaring voice that makes you contemplate her journey. The ambience and layered electronica shows Alu as her own person providing her own atmosphere through her do-it-yourself attitude. She wrote and produced all the songs here. I was riveted in wanting to listen to her inspirational thoughts and the strength of mind in relaying her soul to the public. She leans towards the darker side of life in testing the thoughts on abandoned children, medication and death. But she gives hope in desperate times. People could make a view in terms of references to “well known” artists like Portishead and Massive Attack, and even a female version of Jeff Buckley’s style, but Alu is a voice of the future. She will probably never get a look in on MTV, but she looks great, sings like an angel, and has achieved quite a remarkable debut recording that holds up in its own right.