The ‘She’ that’s so excitable in the act She’s Excited is Anne Wichmann. She says she’s influenced by artists like Grace Jones, David Bowie and Laurie Anderson. Although only time will tell if Wichmann has the influence of these iconic artists, she’s certainly created a strong album with Moments of Sonder.
Wichmann has described this new full-length album as “a lucid dream, a sound bath, a brief glimpse into different lives.” Sonically, she says it “combines dreamy indie pop with groovy beats, it fuses electronic music with earthy sounds and field recordings.” It includes eleven relatively brief tracks. Only one of these lasts more than four minutes, and some are as short as a minute and some change, while one is over and done with after only 48 seconds.
One track, “All I Need,” lists Komputer as a collaborator. It’s a relatively quite track, which also has louder moments and also features a male rapper on it. “AloneTogether” differs from the rest of the album, as it incorporates jazzy acoustic piano and what sounds like a woman speaking in a foreign language. It is listed as a She’s Excited! collaboration with Joana Brabo. On “Perforated,” Wichmann’s voice changes tones often. She sounds a little disgusted in places, with a lower register vocal. In other parts, though, she sings soulfully. The track also utilizes what sound like urban found sounds to create its unusual vibe.
Piano also takes center stage for “Foreal,” as Wichmann sings one of the album’s relatively few straightforward pieces. Its piano part sounds a little like Christopher Cross’s “Run Like The Wind,” which is likely a performer she rarely gets compared with often. Then there is “Weltschmerz” that sounds like it has a French language vocal. However, with a title like that, it must be a different language from French. This is the cut that is only 48 seconds. It’s followed by “Before,” a song with steady drumming percussion.
The album’s best song title is “Hello Brain.” It’s listed as a collaboration with Mike Eastabrook. It begins with a great opening line. “Hello brain/It’s been a while.” It’s rare you hear a song addressed directly to a person’s gray matter. However, we all talk to our brains now and again, telling ourselves to please focus for a minute! Granted, we may not sing to our brains, but conversations with the brain are not entirely unusual.
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The album next to the last song is “Year Of Sonder,” which may also count as the record’s title track. On it, Wichmann gives us her most soulful, sultry lead vocal. With its stripped-down R&B arrangement, it comes off a little like one of those great Sade ‘quiet storm’ tunes. Then the moody “A Mother’s Flame,” which is a collaboration with Clarea Francesca, brings this album to a close. It is a slow, ambient track that also includes found sounds. It only lasts 1:17. Thus concludes a variety-packed collection of short songs. It’s especially exciting if you’re the sort of person that likes music with plenty of sonic twists and turns.
-Dan MacIntosh
