Elizabeth Fraser

Moses EP

(Rough Trade)

Record Review by Marcel Feldmar

You’ve heard of her, but more importantly, you’ve heard her. She was the singer of the Cocteau Twins, a band that lasted from 1982 until 1998. Now she is just a singer, although "just" is probably the wrong word to use. Singer might be the wrong word to use as well. Elizabeth Fraser is a heavenly vocalist? That might work better. Following the breakup of the Cocteau Twins, she continued performing and recording, but for the most part she took on the role of a collaborator, and not as a solo artist. Still, for all you hopefuls out there, while this is not, unfortunately, the full length that fans have been waiting ten years for, this might just be a single from that mystery album. Maybe.

This is one song, three times. But it’s Elizabeth Fraser, so that’s ok. It’s not hot off the presses or anything, but it was recorded with Damon Reece, who briefly replaced Pete De Fritas in Echo & The Bunnymen, and has also worked with Spiritualized and Massive Attack, and following his departure from Spiritualized he formed the band Lupine Howl. Alongside Elizabeth and Damon is Jake Drake-Brockman, or Jake Brockman, who also played with Echo & The Bunnymen, both live and in the studio throughout the '80s and joining as a full-time member in 1989.

While it has been mentioned that Elizabeth Fraser and Damon Reece have managed to put together enough material for an album, there is no word if there actually will be an album. Even this single was supposedly going to drift off into obscurity, or be placed in the song files for a release date T.B.A, until Jake Drake-Brockman unfortunately passed away in September of 2009. This single, in all of its sonic glory, has been put together and released as a tribute, a memory, a farewell. A moment of silence and a beautiful song for Jake Brockman.

The music that Elizabeth Fraser attaches herself to is her music, whatever shape or form it takes. From the Cocteau Twins, to singing with the Future Sound of London, to performing with Massive Attack, it is her emotion, her voice, her personality that shines, and here it glows. On the single “Moses,” which is followed by the Thighpaulsandra Remix, and then the Spaceland Remix, the music initially moves out like a Gypsy caravan, followed and pushed by an almost Gorillaz like beat and groove. Definitely a little massive in the attack here. The vocals are so distinctive, so touched by a flow of sadness and ethereality, that perhaps the music underneath no longer serves the same purpose as it used to. Now the music is a plate that the instrument of voice is served upon. Thankfully, this is a good looking plate.

I think in the Cocteau Twins, the instruments and vocals were more intertwined and tangled up in each other. Here there is more of a separation, which sends the whole song spinning out into that lazily depressed trip-hop atmosphere. Sitting by the French Riviera, wondering if it will rain, and loving it. The sadness is there, but the voice holds bright wings of angels, so there is always joy as well.

Then the mixes hit. Thighpaulsandra is also known as Tim Lewis. Tim has played with Julian Cope, Spiritualized, and Coil, and has released some solo work as well. This mix moves similar to the original, but with a definite harder edged beat. A little more bounce in the Gypsy movement, a little more synth in the rhythm. It’s still holding the shadows of the original, but there is more of a dance now, the vocals are pushed up and outwards. The drums kick up the words and the song floats a little closer to the surface of a smile.

Lastly, is Spaceland’s mix. This is a little darker, a little deeper, but still with more of an emphasis on the beat. Spaceland is Andy Jenks, who was one of the founding members of Alpha, and while there are touches of that style, there is more of a laid back groove going on. Like the film noir version, a little secretive, a little spacious. Falling between the previous two songs in terms of dynamics, it’s the perfect track to close out on, and in its closing you don’t feel like you’ve listened to the same song three times, you feel like you’ve just caught the intro to something beautiful and all you want is to hear the rest.