Rose Keeler-Schaffeler—Universal Language

Unusually for me, I want to head off this review by saying that this is an incredible collection of music. That being said, it's kind of a hard one to break down on a track-by-track basis. The music is very vocal-centric, with various electronic accompaniment. It's kind of choral and at times orchestral. Many of the tracks have a fragile beauty to them, but some are much more confident, like "Life Selection Room", where there is a thrum, an unrelenting drive forward.

It's in the more delicate moments that the music really speaks to me. You can't help but want to close your eyes and just let the music wash over you. It's like a cleanse by music. "Elders", for instance, has that magical repetition, wave after wave of absolutely beautiful, ethereal vocals. It's drone-like, but because they are vocals, it feels much more human, much more personal.

Some songs have a more musical feel, like "Boy Faced Boy". There's still that drone-like quality, and it's still predominantly vocals, but they're laid down almost like a musical score, resulting in a track that is vibrant and melodic.

I'm not a musician at all, but with "Second Nature" I could follow the chord progression in real time in my head, pretty much knowing what was coming. I'm not sure if it's following some kind of known musical progression, or if it's just something I was particularly attuned to, but there was a strange reassurance in the music.

If I'm going to pick out one track that didn't resonate, it was "Baby Creatures". I'm sorry, but I don't think that's ever going to be a track that sits right with me. It's odd, strange and a little annoying. I'm honestly wondering if it feels almost like a statement of sorts.

The final track is "From Me to We", and it pretty much closes the album as it started, with pure vocals and a stark beauty that is just amazing.

There are twelve songs on the album, and while they all share common traits, they are all individual and unique. That means some will resonate more strongly than others, depending on what you get out of this style of music. For me, the basic drone style is hypnotic and calming. The more melodic and ethereal side features the tracks I want to play on their own, over and over again.

For those that get this genre of music, you will just get it. For others, I think there will be a few tracks on here that will sit with you and perhaps open up your musical horizons.