EMMA POLLOCK > Watch the Fireworks

Updated:

June 30, 2009 10:34 am

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A strange thing happens in the middle of an Emma Pollock song: the story is temporarily deconstructed, leaving couplets suspended and held in sharp relief by Pollock’s gorgeous voice. This effect is most pronounced during the more sparsely instrumented selections such as “Fortune” and “Limbs,” where the accompaniment is only acoustic guitar and piano. From the latter comes “Sitting by the bed/I can see through her skin.” It’s a slightly jarring, but ultimately moving transcendence from the theme. Elsewhere on Watch the Fireworks, Pollock moves away from the “singer/songwriter” mode, leaning more toward a kind of eclectic, very textural indie rock. Melody is the key here, with Emma’s singular voice tumbling out lines that swoop through the chord changes with a graceful ease. Highly recommended.