bbook:

Performing under the moniker Class Actress, Elizabeth Harper’s latest album, Rapprocher, sounds a bit like what would happen if Dave Gahan, Oscar Wilde, and Madonna curled up together in the corner of a dark bar for some heartbreak-fueled debauchery. The follow-up to her 2010 EP, The Journal of Ardency, Rapprocher is an 11-song odyssey about the tumultuousness of the heart. It’s a lovelorn tale that’s dark and weary, with just enough synth to make it danceable. Lyrical sadness is skillfully applied to the disco beats and feel-good melodies scattered throughout the album. On “Bienvenue,” she channels Raymond Carver, repeating, “This is the way we talk when we talk about love,” making for a surprisingly poppy anthem. Although each song quickens the pulse, tracks like “Prove Me Wrong” fall on the downbeat side of dark electro, ideal for sinking into said shadowy bar corners.

Our October Album Reviews

Elizabeth Harper was my ex husband’s “beard” at Berkeley while we were dating and until he came out of the closet. She also used to borrow my paper cutter and create rubber stamp posters for her shows in my Hell’s Kitchen living room.. [sigh] old memories of grad night in SF.. etc.. looking forward to seeing that chick again in the semi-near future.