Stream: Tasseomancy “Palm Wine Revisited” (exclusive)

02 Jun 2015 — Henry Schiller

Palm Wine Revisited is the second full-length album from Tasseomancy, the Toronto-based experimental folk project of twin sisters (and former Austra members) Romy and Sari Lightman. The Lightmans, along with percussionist Evan Cartwright and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Spence, have delivered an album of haunting pop tracks on which nuanced vocal melodies soar over cleverly minimalist production.

Early Kate Bush should jump out as an immediate point of comparison for Tasseomancy’s particularly theatrical brand of off-kilter folk. And just as Bush’s music is evocative of a pre-Roman notion of British mysticism, Tasseomancy seem similarly indebted to the eerie splendor of cold North American woodland. “The Grass Harp” has the rickety, Elfman-esque theatrics of a chase through some sinister forest, but then surprises with a squeal of overdriven guitar that snaps you back to a land where music is recorded onto digital interfaces, and does not just emanate naturally from trees.

The production on Palm Wine Revisited places a unique focus on timbre, with sections on each song highlighting the interplay between the Lightmans’ powerful vocals and one distinct instrument. Though melodically rich, the tracks have been mixed in a way that is pleasantly minimal; this allows for a more confident display of subtle melodic hooks that might otherwise be lost behind overbearing instrumentation. The second half of the title track, for example, is full of small vocal twists that could easily have been buried behind less experienced production.

Palm Wine Revisited is a haunting album; one that sounds distinctly capable of filling out the space of a large theater. Tracks like the hauntingly sparse “What Life Must I Lead” request to be inhabited: rather than automatically move from track to track, Palm Wine Revisited walks you from room to room in a large, abandoned warehouse, converted piece by piece into a recreation of some ancient forest.

Palm Wine Revisited is out today on Healing Power Records.

The sisters are about to embark on a brief tour that includes an appearance at cherished Fusion Festival halfway between Hamburg and Berlin, and a show at Berghain Kantine at the end of June. Find all dates below:

June 17 // Toronto ON // NXNE @ Mod Club
June 18 // Montreal QC // Bar Le "Ritz" P.D.B
June 23 // Amsterdam NL // Paradiso
June 24 // Paris FR // Pop up Du Label
June 25 // Toulouse FR // Siestes Electroniques
June 27/28 // Lärz DE // Fusion Festival
June 29 // Berlin DE // Berghain Kantine