Moodring – “Phoolan Devi ” – [Nillacat]

Max Level   10/6/2007   A Library, CD

A fascinating project by Rollerball’s Mae Starr (vocals /keyboards) and Monte Trent Allen (bass/sonic tweaking). Mae is a powerful singer, able to really light up a song, and she does just that on a few of these tracks. Her voice is sometimes at the forefront, but just as often she’s buried under layers of unidentifiable sounds, distortion, drones, and loops. The music is an interesting blend of warm acoustic sounds and synthetic textures and beats; a combination I have really grown to like. Monte’s creative production work places us in an unfamiliar world; mysterious but not scary. Several tracks include contributions from guest artists, all of whom I believe are Portland-based, as are Moodring. And as if the wonderful handcrafted music wasn’t enough, this CD comes in nicely handcrafted packaging. Definitely check this one out.