Aluka’s debut album Space is an aurally exhilarating narrative of experimental vocals and delicate female timbre.
Exploring the use of extreme echoes (often recording in empty stairwells or indoor swimming pools), the trio from Melbourne have dazzled listeners with their adventures in sound – using nothing but their own harmonious voices.
The record opens with “Keep My Cool” which integrates liquid smooth vocals with sharp bops in the background, adding some essential density to the number.
The mixture of high and low vocals sets the listener up for the inventive techniques that will be heard in the remainder of the record. A highlight of this track is the use of echoed clicking to create that enjoyable bebop fusion.
This instance can be seen again in “Station” where the repetitive claps are effective in creating a train station image, but it is matched with vocals that are less awe-inspiring as a result, which weakens some of the songs magic.
The record develops with tracks like “Swim Down” and “Lucy” which exhibit artistic uses of the human voice box, with an array of “boom’s”, “da-dumn’s” and “a-whoo-wa-ah’s” making up the collection of a capella numbers.
Sadly, as creative as the pieces are, this style of music is unlikely to take every one’s fancy. A splendid display of vocal technique and imagination may not be enough to intrigue a wide population of musical enthusiasts, as the consistency of the record may turn people away, especially those that thrive on a shredding guitar number or some dreamy piano.
However for those who are captivated by charming storytelling and the wide influence of experimentalism, hymnals, pop and jazz, Space will open your ears to a geographical and spatial realm that uses the extraordinary flexibility of the human voice to vocalize human emotion.
