Before making her debut as
Lisel
in 2019,
Eliza Bagg
had already built an enviable music resume, having collaborated with such highly regarded avant-garde artists as
Meredith Monk
,
John Zorn
Daniel Wohl
, and
Julianna Barwick
. In the indie world, she sang and engineered for
San Fermin
, played strings for
Kevin Morby
and
Simon Raymonde
's
Lost Horizons
, and co-led Brooklyn art-rock band
Pavo Pavo
. Familiar to fans of that group will be the soaring, wistful melodies of
Bagg
's elegant voice, whose ethereal quality is front and center with
in layered, organic, and distorted forms. Its particular use of vocal samples is indicative of the overall experimental tendencies on the self-produced
Angels on the Slope
, a title that evokes its otherworldly and off-balance qualities, including dissonance, spacy timbres, and glints of subtle, sculpted noise. While sparse, opener "Ciphers" includes examples of all of the above, as does most of the album. Pulsing vocal samples are introduced in its first few seconds, cuing
's delicate, live soprano, drum machine, and eventual dissonant flute and impromptu-sounding percussion. The track then locks into radiant harmonies, another judiciously employed trait of the record. Quirkier, more syncopated tracks like "Vanity" and "GENUiNE" lighten the mood without being any less impressive. The latter combines shimmering synths, saxophone, electronic drums, and spontaneous percussion, with an electric guitar that echoes one of the main vocal hooks. Speaking of hooks, among the album's catchier material are the synth-heavy "Mirage" and standout "Hollowmaker," a bittersweet pop tune with more of those evocative harmonies. The arrangements are so meticulous and full of musical longing throughout
that its 32-minute playing time seems just right, unfolding like a tone poem as much as short bursts of pop. Exquisite and fractured, it's a memorable debut and a must for fans of
Weyes Blood
or any of
's prior indie projects. ~ Marcy Donelson