Poliça began working on
Music for the Long Emergency just before the release of 2016's politically charged
United Crushers, and they give the issues they explored on that album extra depth and heft with the help of Berlin's orchestral collective
s t a r g a z e. The band couldn't have chosen better collaborators:
s t a r g a z e have loaned their skill at bridging the worlds of orchestral, electronic, and indie music to a who's who of artists including
Shara Worden,
Owen Pallett, and
the National's
Bryce Dessner. It's no surprise, then, that
Music for the Long Emergency feels well considered; it doesn't sound like strings grafted onto
Poliça songs, nor are
Channy Leaneagh and
Ryan Olson's voices, synths, and beats overwhelmed by dense arrangements. Instead, the groups arrive at a blend that's harmonious -- or, when necessary, dissonant. "Speaking of Ghost" conveys its anguish with a climax of atonal brass and strings; on "Marrow," it feels like
Poliça and
s t a r g a z e are daring each other to go farther -- and louder -- as their sounds collide. Sometimes the daring goes too far, as on "Cursed," a glitchy, slightly awkward track featuring Minnesota rapper
Crescent Moon.
Leaneagh's intimate voice and lyrics remain
Poliça's greatest strengths, and
Music for the Long Emergency is at its best when they're the focus, as on the gorgeous opening track "Fake Like" and "Agree," a poignant expression of boundary issues ("Being good to you/While losing me"). While
Leaneagh's songwriting may be more abstract than the typical protest song, she connects the dots between personal emergencies and political ones on
Music for the Long Emergency. Written immediately after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the ten-minute "How Is This Happening" moves from the dawning horror telegraphed by its curdled flutes and strings and funereal trumpets to resolve when
Leaneagh sings "We've got a lot of work to do." Similarly, the title track teeters between ominous and hopeful like the fine line between a crisis and an opportunity. Even if it's not always as coherent as
Poliça and
s t a r g a z e's own albums,
Music for the Long Emergency's experiments balance ambition and emotion in admirable ways.