On with
the Odyssey!
Disc 1154 is… Three Futures
Artist: Torres
Year of Release: 2017
What’s up with the Cover? Torres sits splay-legged on a
couch in some house the 1950s forgot. In the mirror you can see what has so
thoroughly caught her attention, as a sexy woman stretches, wearing nothing but
pantyhose.
I expect
that last sentence will earn me some random Google searches.
How I Came To Know It: I discovered Torres through her
2015 album “Sprinter”. An early sampling of “Three Futures” went well so I took
the plunge.
How It Stacks Up: I have two Torres albums and they are both
great, but only one can be #1. With this harsh reality, I must place “Three
Futures” in first place, but it is a photo finish. Both albums are equally
great.
Ratings: 4 stars
When I first heard Mackenzie Scott (aka Torres) I
thought she was pretty out there; a bit on the experimental pop side and not at
all my usual stuff. However, “Sprinter” was so brilliant that as long as she
didn’t go any farther “out there” I would be OK. Then she released “Three
Futures” which takes three giant strides further
out there but is so evocative and brilliant you can’t deny its greatness.
“Three Futures” takes the experimental approach to “Sprinter”
and infuses it with dark matter and electrical current. Torres embraces a heavy
electronica sound, fusing it seamlessly with lyrics that express stark truths
about sexuality, power and frailty. Drum machines, synthesizers and the drone
of feedback set a soundscape that is immersive and yet incredibly stark. I
shouldn’t like this stuff, but I couldn’t help myself.
Over this undulating ocean of sound, Torres’ voice casts
a spell of seductive truth. Her vocals are powerful throughout her range, and
she enunciates her words with the care of one who knows that good music is like
poetry – every word matters. I was pleased to read Torres has a minor in
English Literature – it gives hope for the rest of us.
Torres has many influences and I could hear the aggressive
poetry of Patti Smith and the rich nineties dreamy ambience of Sarah McLachlan.
There’s even a little early Enya, and the way that synth riff dances around on “Greener Stretch” sounds like some
digital Celt marching to the sea.
“Three Futures” is laden with characters coming to
terms with themselves and how people are drawn to one another. The whole of
it drips with desire. On “Skim” she
sings “There’s no unlit corner of the
room I’m in” reminding you that nothing will be too personal to shine a
light on. She invites you to take a dive with her into the deep end. No stone will
be left unturned and no topic will be too uncomfortable or taboo.
On “Righteous
Woman” she sings:
“I am not a
righteous woman
I’m more of an ass
man
And when I go to
spread, I’m only
Squinting out a
strip of land
From my panopticon.”
Lascivious twists on gender imagery strip away
arbitrary boundaries, as Torres sings these lines like honey is dripping from
her tongue. On top of all that, she taught me a new word: panopticon. It is a
prison where a single guard can look in on any inmate at any time, but the
inmates are never aware if they are under surveillance at any given moment. The
voyeuristic element adds another layer to the grand seduction. We can only
assume that like Torres artistic talent and fearless approach to her art, the
individual rooms of her panopticon have no unlit corners.
For an album that is so laden with naked truths,
there is a depth to the delivery that makes you realize that Torres didn’t come
to these topics from some prurient crowd-pleasing place, but through a deep
exploration of the nature of desire.
My only disappointment is the final track “To Be Given a Body”. The song has
wonderful moments but at eight minutes is a bit too long, and features a lot of
percussion that sounded like the speakers were turned on too loud.
It is a minor quibble on a record that otherwise thoroughly
ensorcelled me. “Three Futures” was invigorating, sensual and provocative and
makes me excited to see where Torres will go next with her prodigious talent.
Best
tracks: Tongue
Slap Your Brains Out, Skim, Three Futures, Righteous Woman, Bad Baby Pie
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