Alice & Michi Strange Bloom

Published May 15, 2012
If one were to argue that no music is truly original, Strange Bloom could be used as "Exhibit A." The debut album from Cleveland, OH two-piece Alice & Michi, Strange Bloom uses that choir-gilded, modern R&B sound that fuelled Dirty Projectors' resourceful 2009 LP, Bitte Orca. But it's the sparse, serene arrangements that define tracks like "Fighters" and "Dedication." Allowing sleek electronics to co-exist with buzzy trumpets and processed violin, the amorously paced "You Could Be My Guy" and claustrophobic 16-bit-er "Goldrush" work like polar opposites on this well-tempered album. Although Dirty Projectors tackle things with a more organically experimental angle, Alice & Michi are undeniably pop artists with a penchant for the baroque. There's some great moods cast on Strange Bloom, mostly in the parallel-layering found on tracks like the warped synth of "This is a Happy Song" and quiet explosiveness of "For All of the Strangers." Strange Bloom may be a carbon copy, but that copy has been appropriately scribbled over.
(Kenji)