Marielle V Jakobsons effortlessly combines warm analog synthesizer textures with mystical strings and woodwinds on her exquisite solo recordings. While some of her past collaborative ventures such as
Myrmyr and
Date Palms have incorporated vocals, 2016's
Star Core (her second proper solo album under her own name) is her first release to include her own singing. Her soft, mantra-like vocalizations slowly unfold in step with the music, which is gracefully pushed along by gentle, comfortable basslines. Her sparkling, lightly arpeggiating synthesizers sometimes resemble
Peaking Lights minus the dub-disco rhythms or pop inclinations, blissfully floating in meditative space but still engaging in a form of astral travel. The album's string arrangements have more of an Eastern sound than her prior works, almost resembling what would happen if
Stars of the Lid heavily studied Indian classical music.
Jakobsons avoids typical Western notation, instead removing the frets from her bass and playing in tune with her synthesizers. As both a musician and a multi-media artist,
Jakobsons is interested in creating immersive experiences, and around the time of the album's recording, she developed her Macro Cymatic Visual Music Instrument, which produces audio-visual art that translates sound waves into light and water designs. She utilized the instrument to create the album's fittingly cosmic, surrealist artwork. This album isn't quite as trippy or psychedelic as her work with
Date Palms, nor is it as dark and alien as her earlier solo work under the moniker
Darwinsbitch. It's one of the most inviting recordings she's ever produced, and it's an easy career highlight. ~ Paul Simpson
