»Who is this Sophia Knapp? Never heard of her!« This is what I thought when I impartially put on the promo-surprise. The confusion was big while I listened to it for the first time: Are these supposed to be 60s-remembrances or is it 80s-Pop? Is this ordinary radio music or is it to be seen in an ironic art-context? Why are spiritual topics treated with thoroughly artificial sound-asthetics? And what, for god’s sake, is Bill Calahan’s beary baritone doing here? Questions, questions, questions… so I dare to take a glimpse into the world wide web: She once sung with Cliffie Swan (formerly: Lights), who sound like Led Zeppelin… A colleague describes this debut as the analogy of Lana Del Rey’s bedroom eyes. And this is what I don’t forget, because it seems so appropriate to me: fake, but still seductive. This mix of Fleetwood Mac, Abba and Feist doesn’t sound entirely coherent in its obvious ambivalence. I just don’t quite get it. And I will leave it to others to figure out what to make of »Into The Waves«. This album leaves me behind as this review might leave you: torn and meaningless – and unfortunately untouched.
Into The Waves
