New York – Southern solo artist Emily Reo is a weaver of fabricated tones and an artist in the realm of synthesized sonic structures. Imploding in reverb and ornate melodies, this Floridian’s work merits a bit more attention than it has pulled so far. As we transition into the New Year, Emily Reo deserves a second look. Somehow both wintry and warm, her particular brand of electro, avant-pop is the perfect way to soundtrack the changing seasons and, infused with certain boldness, sets the stage for new beginnings.
Recent praise for Reo as the year came to close included two spots on I Guess I’m Floating’s 100 Favorite Songs of 2013 for her cover of Pretenders’ “Birds of Paradise” and her own “Wind.” Reo also secured a place on Impose Magazine’s Best Albums of 2013.
Although her first album, Minha Gatinha, was released back in 2009, Reo is still somewhat of a newbie. She made a nomad of herself from Boston to New York to Los Angeles as she figured her way through the process of imagining and writing her debut. Throughout her relocation and foray into the world of recording, Reo clearly had some time to hone her skills. When last September saw the release of her latest, Olive Juice, via Elestial Sound, Reo proved her progress with stunning intensity. Her most recent work is highly toned, deeply more developed than her last, and endlessly enchanting.
Reo’s first album breaks down in abstractions that recall the sort of darkness stirring at the core of Coco Rosie’s work. Liberal and experimental vocals drove her first release, as downbeat tones and churning harmonies gently tugged us down to its quiet, slow flowing depths. But often, Minha Gatinha wandered too far into heavy abstraction, and the album at large suffered from a lack of solid sonic foundation.
In great contract to her first release, Olive Juice comes through with all the force her first forgot. Reo is the first to admit that Minha Gatinha was a learning experience, the result of which was more a pile of demos that a fully developed record. In fact, several of the tracks from the first release appear on OliveJuice, in reimaged versions.
With Olive Juice, Reo’s use of percussion has progressed immensely and builds a solid structure that tether down the tracks. The songs themselves are chiseled out of stone this time, not written in thin air. Wistful yet powerful, they are anchored in a developed sense of self and an awareness of ability. Olive Juice marks that special breakthrough spot, the ignorable place a musician comes to at his or her own pace. Some wild magic happened in the time before this release, and Olive Juice is the moment Reo shows us her true capabilities. The product is more than enough to make our ears perk up, secure support and get hopes going for whatever comes next.
While we wait, Reo is the midst of her “Smells Like Queen Spirit” Californian mini-tour alongside Yohuna and R.L. Kelly. With a little luck those of you out West can still catch her. If you missed her release this year, play it through several times as you breakout the 2014 calendars. A real boldness lays in it, the kind to give you courage of conviction, to inspire new avenues of growth and help you commit to your best-laid resolutions.
Photo By Daniel Dorsa
Album Art By Louise Chen
Liz Rowley
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