Morgan Kibby shared writing and production duties on M83’sSaturdays = Youth, and went one step further onHurry Up, We’re Dreamingbyadding her voice to the single ‘Midnight City’.
Now, her ethereal vocals and layered arrangements are featured in a more vibrant yet assured incarnation on her sweeping debut solo album In Cold Blood, released under the moniker White Sea.
Kibby said she wanted to create an “almost visual experience” for people listening to the album, and she’s succeeded in that, even beyond the dusk-softened video trailers. The richly looped elements build on each other as swelling strings, snapping snares and pulsing synths form a solid foundation for her otherworldly vocals to soar over like a wheeling bird.
Opener ‘They Don’t Know’ is a stirring choir of clear, sparkling vocals that fizzes into the back-and-forth rhythms of ‘Prague’. At times it is pure frothy fun – ‘Future Husbands’ is stirring neo-disco – but some of her lyrics stray off the saccharine path into stickier territory, as in ‘Warsaw’.
The balance of stirring electronic beats and soaring classical vocals is almost pitch perfect on In Cold Blood. As White Sea, Morgan Kibby demonstrates her ability to create captivating tapestries of sound.
3.5/5.
In Cold Bloodout May 20 through POD / inertia.
