Lydia Ainsworth

Right From Real

BY Michael RancicPublished Sep 26, 2014

8
Lydia Ainsworth's career path has brought her from Toronto to Montreal to New York and back again, but her debut record doesn't sound as if it's tied to any of those cities. Instead, the composer turned pop musician conjures her own world, an ethereal place where bits and pieces of Björk, Fever Ray, Owen Pallett and other stray influences collide and crystallize into a style that's hers and hers alone.

Gorgeous string arrangements give the record an ornate quality, but its pulsing electronic core keeps it from sounding too precious or delicate. Ainsworth uses her vocals to carry a lot of the melodic weight of each song as they swell and crest, but she also cuts and chops them up, allowing them to take on the character of percussion or strings as needed. Overall, the production really serves the record, maintaining a consistent atmosphere throughout that never overpowers her.
(Arbutus Records)

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