This Alan Sparhawk (Low) produced debut 4-track EP from female duo EAU CLAIRE bristles with feedback and distortion but is cut through with soft lines of acoustic guitar, melody and woozy vocals. Rachel Staggs and Jessica Bailiff are better known as members of Clear Horizon and Experimental Aircraft but since an interview conducted by the former with the latter in the late 90s they have shared a common passion for music that finally comes to fruition with EAU CLAIRE.
Their icy sound and cool execution draws from The Cocteau Twins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Slowdive, Low and most pertinently the vocal arrangements recall My Bloody Valentine’s Belinda Butcher. All the tracks have an unhurried way about them: ‘Freefall’ is anthemic and funereal (even recalling Tubeway Army in the synthesiser melody line!), the acoustic ‘For Times’ is light and introspective while the nine minute ‘Soaring’ is a masterpiece of slow build: the contrast between the other-worldly background noises and the ambience of the fore-ground melodies and instrumentation creating a beautiful tension that never falters.
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Hardly ground-breaking but the execution is first-rate and the duo are adept at adding subtle variations into the familiar sonic arrangements while the control and temperance of the collage of feedback, looping and distortion also ensures that their ear for a good tune is never lost in the mix.
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