The Proximity Effect’s two opening cuts set the stall. Glitchiness gives way to a descending, sad, drifting melody on “The Beginning of the End”. “More Than You” is an upbeat, poppy, Tango in the Night Fleetwood Mac refracted through a chilly Nordic musical sensibility. Lovely.
Laki Mera's core members are vocalist/guitarist Laura Donnelly and the Italian composer/instrumentalist/producer Andrea Gobbi. Based in Glasgow, where they met, they formed the band in 2004. Their first album, Clutter, caused a minor stir as it first surfaced as a pay-what-you-fancy download in late 2007. A physical release followed in 2008.
The name Laki Mera bowdlerises the chimera of Greek myth, the fire-spouting creature composed of parts of multiple animals. It invites the question of what Laki Mera are stitching together in their aural quilt. They’re not shy about offering answers. Live, they cover Kate Bush's “Running Up That Hill”. There’s a trip-hop backdrop here, but it’s not overt and is softened out. Unlike Emeli Sandé’s entire lift of the sound and The xx's use of trip hop as a jumping-off point, Laki Mera employ it as colour, resulting in a shimmering, electronica-tinged pop that fuses melody and atmosphere. The haunting “Solstice” is little more than Donnelly’s haunting vocal, an acoustic guitar and a foggy instrumental shimmer. “Fool” adds strings and sparse beats, but still captures this dreamlike feel. Laki Mera are close to being the electronica Slowdive.
After hearing The Proximity Effect, it’s impossible not to think back to 5, the recent Lamb album. What separates Laki Mera from these first-generation chill out/trip-hop electronicists is a vivacity, an energy. Their name draws from the ancient, but the assured Proximity Effect emits an airy freshness.
Find The Proximity Effect on Amazon
Download The Proximity Effect from iTunesWatch the video for The Proximity Effect's “Fool”
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