Label: 4AD
Review by Warren Mayocchi
Wistful insistent melancholy punk. Or if you prefer the official line, Daughter are an Indie Folk trio: Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella. Elena delivers lyrical content with the equivalent of a penetrating stare – raw and confronting. Their music is just as important, it creates a dreamy, shimmering, jangly sound to add a universe around the lyrics. At times it sounds as though we are listening through a keyhole to private creations too powerful to expose to others. In more straightforward terms, the band create an instrumental sound that is not unlike The Cure and Elena reminds me of Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode). “Doing The Right Thing” has a music video which adds extra depth to a song about the growing emptiness of life with Alzheimer’s/dementia. This indicates what to expect from the rest of the album. The songs have a lovely interplay between the vocal and instruments and “Made of Stone” does it the best. “Alone/With You” is another of my favorites. Along with “No Care” the diversity of the band, within their musical atmosphere, is shown in these three songs. “How” and “Numbers” also have a music videos to further sample their work. It is rare for a band to produce a record that sounds this genuine. Respect is deserved for this achievement alone but there is much more to the album. There is a well-known word-mind trick used by many; “Don’t think of …” it is inevitable that your mind disregards the negative start and actually gives thought to that which you have been instructed not to consider. “Not to Disappear” is a title using similar wording, but there is no chance Daughter will disappear with the excellent songs with which they are treating our ears.
Rating – 86/100
Tracklist
- New Ways
- Numbers
- Doing the Right Thing
- How
- Mothers
- Alone/With You
- No Care
- To Belong
- Fossa
- Made of Stone
Line Up
- Elena Tonra – Vocals, guitar, bass
- Igor Haefeli – Guitar, bass
- Remi Aguilella – Drums, percussion
Links