Otherworldy academic electropop
Who they?
The disarming voice of R Elizabeth – which traverses all manner of terrain, from conversational, melodic and lilting, to manipulated and double-tracked – belongs to London-based Rachael Finney. Her captivating vocals and arrangements are influenced by her ongoing academic work with sound analysis and “the spaces that voices can produce”.
Why R Elizabeth?
Finney is drawn to the emotive power of a good pop song. “In terms of straight-up pop, I can never get enough of anything that’s slightly dramatic and somewhat sad – Yazoo’s ‘Only You’ I could have on repeat,” she says. “The sentiment is so emotional yet Vince Clarke is playing these pretty modest patterns on the synth, and Alison Moyet’s voice is just a dream.” Armed with an 1980s Casio keyboard, a piano and reel-to-reel tape manipulation, she’s crafting her own intellectual pop minimalism with a whole lot of heart.
Tell us more…
After a long gap following her debut ‘Season Of Error’, Finney is back with her second full-length album ‘Every And All We Voyage On’. Tracks ‘Cut Piano’ and ‘Piano Cut’ are woozy, warped tape instrumentals that bookend the record. In between, it’s a season of contrasts. Take the effervescent melody of ‘Back From Ten’ and the opposing sombre echo of the title track. Finney flits between optimism and pessimism. “There is, perhaps, a sadness that runs through this record and R Elizabeth more broadly”, she says. Yet for each moment of melancholy, ‘Every And All We Voyage On’ counters with a playful, lighter touch.
‘Every And All We Voyage On’ is out on Night School
