Gueens’s Head is a soaring example of why independent music is still exciting. Christy & Emily stitch their songs with echo-heavy vocals that hover above alien terrains of dissonance and resolution. From those heights, the duo purveys a mysterious landscape of swirling guitars and warm-toned Rhodes keyboards. Time signatures appear and disappear, instruments and vocals fade in and out of consciousness, and loops form the bedrock of beautifully crafted themes.
Production on this record is absolutely perfect, its mysterious, reverb-heavy style lining these eight tracks with a pleasantly opaque aura. Each track carries a dramatic name, like “Ocean” or “Ghost”, decorated with cryptic but penetrating lyrics that line the thick compositions like a delicate skin. Gueen’s Head reveals itself slowly, uncurling like a dream from the up-swept corners of your mind. This just might be my new rainy day record, which means it’s also good right before bed with a cup of tea. The duo played the Social Registry festival this weekend, disseminating their love of impeccably crafted discordant melodies and pleasant, floating harmonies.
