Album Review

Laki Mera – Clutter

• 16th Apr 2008

Laki Mera are an electronic outfit formed in Glasgow, but hailing individually from all over Europe. Their debut long player release, Clutter, sounds specially crafted to provide a multitude of adverts with melancholy soundtracks. In ‘Signals,’ after an extended musical intro of fractured electronic soundscapes, Laura Connelly’s vocals dance out a James Bondesque theme with cellist Trevor Helliwell’s playing. The result is alluring to say the least. ‘How Dare You’ demonstrates Connelly’s almost child-like but beautifully resonating voice as she belts out ‘How could you?/ After all you put us through’ with heartfelt conviction.

The sound is certainly not cluttered but very calm and collected in its persuasive delivery. It is eclectic and rarely strays from a steady tempo throughout the entire album urging you to hang around for the epic coda, ‘Bumble B,’ which is definitely worth the wait (the previous three tracks amount to 24 seconds of silence).

The whole album combines technological glitches and washes with traditional melodic composition (two of them happen to be classically trained). Instruments range from the aforementioned cello to the less traditional kazoo, all there to punctuate the invitation into Laki Mera’s eerie and spine-chilling world.

Clutter is an album of depth and beauty and well worth a listen or ten.