Three years after Grey Oceans, sisters Bianca and Sierra Casady are back with another interesting explosion of a record, this one co-produced by previous collaborator Valgeir Sigurðsson. CocoRosie have a talent for placing small details in epic contexts. Toy instruments take on a heavier sound, and tiny-sounding voices are often drenched in reverb and distorted. Theirs is a meeting place of stridency, femininity, and paradox. Gravediggress is full of beatboxing; staccato-like vocals create a sweeping, hazy atmosphere that complement the pop-influenced hip-hop swagger of End of Time and the wobbly organ on Villain. The childlike vocals and elegant piano on After the Afterlife are matched up with heavy beats. Child Bride filters tribal drumming, which acts as a coda to the reedy-sounding pan-pipes on Roots of My Hair. The sisters recently said they are "burning with optimism". This strange and striking record confirms that.
cocorosiemusic.com
Download: Gravediggress