For her first solo full-length since 2012's double-LP Tumult in Clouds, Polish dream pop artist
Ela Orleans teamed up with trip-hop producer
Howie B (known for his work with
U2,
Tricky,
Björk, and
Robbie Robertson, as well as numerous solo efforts) for a more polished departure from her previous recordings. Instead of collage-pop built from samples of dusty old records and cavernous echo,
Upper Hell sports a clearer electro-pop sound. While previous albums focused on themes related to the sky and space, this one goes straight to hell, as its title suggests, with lyrics derived from Dante's Inferno and
Aleister Crowley. Which makes it all the more confusing that standout single "The Sky and the Ghost" has such a perky rhythm and cooing vocal harmonies. "Through Me" strangely features a slow-jam drum-machine beat reminiscent of "Sexual Healing" and backing vocals by members of
the Pastels. The album's most goth moment is the
Crowley-referencing "We Are One," which has a martial, dirge-like rhythm and neo-folk instrumentation. The album's two instrumentals are some of its most uptempo tracks, with "Secret Hands" riding a galloping beat and "City of Dis" shifting through a variety of somewhat generic electro-industrial textures.
Upper Hell is a decent album, but apart from the presence of
Orleans' singular heavily accented vocals, it's nowhere near as distinctive or original sounding as her previous efforts. [
Upper Hell was also released on LP.] ~ Paul Simpson