Empty Me

Gabi– Empty Me
Reviewed by DJ Osud
2019-06-29

New York opera pop/atmospheric rock singer. High, breathy vocals; most songs chant one lyric repetitively; ethereal, dreamy, interesting instrumentation.
RIYL: Devon Welsh, Julianna Barkwick, Grouper

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Favorites: 1, 7, 10, 12

1. (2:46)** Ahhh — Slow and ethereal, vocalizing “ahhh”, a pleasant lullaby, cuts off with 5 seconds to spare
2. (3:29) Sleep — Wispy, abstract vocals, nice tension in instrumentation, picks up in the 2nd half
3. (2:43) Until the End — Chirpy, breathless exclamations of love, repetitive but also mesmerizing
4. (3:58) *Wild Sunflowers — Great drums (?) throughout, cool vocal echoes, dreamy chanting of “wild sunflowers,” ends with even dreamier instrumentation
5. (4:12) *Whole With You — High, breathy vocals, full of longing, more narrative, floating instrumentation that hints at a younger Adele
6. (2:45) Lets Not Exist — Dissonant, high chanting, artfully depressing, *last 20-25 seconds* are the sounds of a wheezing pipe/heavy breathing
7. (2:20) *** Boom Boom Kiki — Fun and faster track with a nice balance between wispy vocalizing and constant chanting of “boom boom kiki”
8. (3:30) Breath — First half is slow and plodding, lots of piano chords; second half picks up and feels both melancholy and futuristic, cuts off with about 7 seconds to spare
9. (3:23) Naked — Great beat and strings, exclamations of nakedness
10. (1:09)** Flute — Almost only high notes played on the flute; alternatively charming and dissonant
11. (1:46) Stranded in Heathrow — A lot of piano chords, high, breathy vocals 
12. (5:00) **Falling for a Stranger —Repetitive exclamations become exploratory + revelatory; reflective, longing, yielding, beautiful + unexpected instrument solo in middle, cuts off with 7 seconds to spare
13. (5:46) Holy —1st half is high, breathy vocalizing to mostly piano; 2nd half is darker, transcendent instrumentation that fades out at the end