Brumes
Soundings in Fathoms
I completely missed the Portland trio’s debut LP when it dropped last May. But I just found it, and holy hell, I’m glad I did. Their sound mixes ambient, Grouper-vibes with touches of folk, drone, and dream-pop (dreamwave? dreamgaze?). Whatever the genre, Soundings in Fathoms is a subtle, gorgeous collection, built around Desireé Rousseau’s faraway vocals and layers of delicate instrumentation.
Rousseau’s vocals are framed by beautifully fingerpicked nylon-string guitars (“oh, zia), stirring violins (“the color of light and shadow”), and spare synths (“I heard you”). Its evocative mood reminds me of driving from Portland to the impossibly gorgeous Oregon coast and getting absolutely soaked by that ridiculous sideways rain that they really only have in the Pacific Northwest. It hasn’t received anything near to the acclaim it deserves, but I guarantee you it will be worth your time.
