Claire Dickson is a Berlin-based singer, composer, and producer. She returns with her third full-length album, Balance (New Amsterdam Records). The record was written and produced over three years using a process that Dickson calls “emergent songwriting”, whereby the songs were allowed to grow organically through improvisation. The seven songs here also feature guest appearances from Brooklyn-based musicians, including Lex Korten, Lesley Mok, Zoh Amba, Cleek Schrey, Kitba, Maya Keren, and Jon Starks.
The music on Balance is largely based around electronic soundscapes. Synth sounds bleep and chime, and contrapuntal textures rise and fall as the dynamics ebb and flow. The music also features acoustic instruments, but it is often difficult to tell which are the “real” or synthetic sounds. Samples are also included, further enhancing the often quite complex sonic configurations. Glitchy syncopated beats sometimes feature, but often percussion is absent or subtle, lending the music an ambient, ethereal feel.
At the centre of all of these compositions is Dickson’s voice, delivering her idiosyncratic lyrics. Breathy and emotive, her singing dances on top of the delicate atmospherics with graceful ease. Sometimes she brings her delivery down to not much more than an intimate whisper. Although usually quite restrained, there is an urgency to the vocal performances that gives the songs a slow-burning intensity. Sometimes she harmonises with herself to powerful effect.
Lyrically, the songs are surreal and dreamlike. On “Doors” she sings “Breathing outside in the wind / I feel I’m already there / Riding with hands in the air”. “Stair” features the lines: “You never met me down there / And I was unsurprised / I wanted to be up there / And enter in your eyes”. Despite their somewhat ambiguous meaning, Dickson’s words are nevertheless suffused with a poignancy that comes from their creative use of imagery. The lyrics’ significance is enhanced by the way Dickson’s vocal performances elegantly glide around and fuse with the music that supports them.
While these compositions perhaps steer away from overtly catchy choruses and hooks, there are plenty of strong melodies weaving around each other, both from the vocals and from the layers of instruments. On finishing listening to the album, I found that my head was full of the memory of interlocking melodic layers, continuing to morph and braid with each other in my mind.
Balance is an engrossing and captivating 30-minute listen. Although understated and nuanced, it is woven through with power and emotional intensity. Fans of Björk, Emma Ruth Rundle, and Brian Eno will find a lot to enjoy within these compositions. Balance, fittingly, finds an equilibrium between calming ambience and potent strength that is a joy to immerse oneself in.
Buy the album here:
https://clairedickson.bandcamp.com/album/balance
8 / 10
DUNCAN EVANS
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