Pikelet - Stem

Thu 20th May, 2010 in Music Reviews

Watching Melbourne’s Pikelet (also known as Evelyn Morris ) play live is incredibly captivating, with the audience given the privilege of watching as the one woman band creates songs from scratch on stage. Her looping and ability to turn what at first seems like a random mish mash of sounds into a remarkable song is a brilliant skill to have.

It’s precisely this edge that is missing from her second album Stem – All the pieces are there, they’re just pre-assembled; it’s like opening a box of Lego only to find the spaceship already assembled. There’s still lot’s of fun to be had with it, but the real enjoyment comes from the piecing the ship together in the first place.

Pikelet’s sound is definitely an acquired taste, full of electronic beeps and synthesised atmospheres, with an underlying basis of acoustic guitar and simple drum work. Morris has crafted her own fantasy world where with her airy vocals and quirky lyrics, she is queen, stamping her mark down on every song. The best way to experience Stem is to simply let yourself go and be swept along with it’s charm and simplistic nature.

With tracks running into each other, the album plays almost like a soundtrack, but rather than a movie as its source, Stem would almost be better suited to an old school video game (at times). With the use of lots of synth and quirky beeps and boops popping up all over the place, one can well imagine the music playing over a fantasy level in a Nintendo 64 game (Though with a song titled Gameland, maybe this is something that inspires Morris?).

However it’s Morris’ vocals that shift it away. Not the strongest of singers, Morris’ airy vocals lend a dark innocence to the entire affair, with simple lyrics (“wake, eat, sleep excrete” and “we have knees and elbows/made to bend and bend”) juxtaposed against the layered backing vocals and harmonies (all supplied by Morris herself).

Highlights of the album include Smithereens, with its tribal/jungle sound contrasting nicely with the electronic synth and Morris’ breathy vocals moving the piece along; The use of bird calls and an almost medieval brass melody in Endurance Hunter; the quaint, cheery pop of Swooping Buzzards with its boppy vocal lines and weird synth providing a wonderful song, and Toby Light with it’s lovely video game/circus-esque melody driving the song along and juxtaposing superbly with Morris’ airy vocals.

The only issue is that the album can, at first, be quite difficult to listen to unless you’re in the right mood. With many songs sounding similar, there doesn’t seem to be any real standout track – which in itself is a compliment as each song works very well with each other. The best way to enjoy this album is a bit at a time, to let the listener’s appreciation grow.