Advertisement

Album reviews Music

Animalia

Animalia – (dissonance)

Leaving guitars behind in favour of electronic instruments has been a common move in indie circles over the last decade or so. But a listen to Tasmania-bred, Toronto-based Animalia’s sophomore album makes it hard to imagine that Jill Krasnicki was ever anything but an electronic artist.

Her approach to synthetic instrumentation is minimalist and understated, which allows her original vocal stylings to take centre stage. Like a good comedian, Krasnicki is not afraid to go “ugly” in order to unleash an anxious expressiveness that matches the fraught themes in her lyrics. She moans and intones, leaping from guttural lows to ecstatic highs in a single phrase, yet maintains a strong pop sensibility. She brings to mind Dolores O’Riordan’s timbre and melodiousness, Bjork’s experimentation, Tanya Tagaq’s rawness and Trust’s gothic starkness. The project is playful and catchy while conveying pain. “Do you want to see that I’m hurting?” she cries on Dido-esque Face On. “Do you want to see that I’m struggling? Do you want to see I can put a face on?”

But while Krasnicki gives everything in her vocals and lyrics, the accompanying music doesn’t always keep up. Off-kilter beats and cloud-like puffs of synths lack similar charge and power. Things often sound a little too empty. Second song Against Nature stands out for its thicker, more upfront minor-key textures and surprising, if somewhat fragmented, melodic shifts. Piano leads the way on the beautifully gentle Paradise.

The brief Fever Dream takes a successful turn toward something closer to dark spoken word, an example of how Krasnicki’s experimentation often pays off. And Ocean Blue, near the end, with its fun alliteration and open-sky chorus, leaves us with a sense of optimism.

Top track: Ocean Blue

Animalia plays a record release show on Thursday (April 14) at Smiling Buddha, and also performs at CMW (May 2-8). See listing.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.