AMG Review of Pikelet

Erik Hage
All Music Guide

Pikelet is the hypnotic, subtly experimental outlet for Australian Evelyn Morris, who has also made a name for herself as a drummer for a couple of "experimental hardcore" bands in Melbourne. But armed with a loop pedal, interesting songwriting chops, and nearly twee sensibilities, she comes up with an interesting mélange of textures and feelings on her self-titled debut. "Size Matters" has an almost Baroque, folk feel to it, with Morris' plaintive soprano loping atop plucked guitar and key washes. The pounding tribal rhythms and spectral drenched vocals of "A Bunch" come off like the Cocteau Twins' lush ghostliness with a touch of Young Marble Giants' pretty starkness. "Beyond the Sky" once again showcases Morris' heavy-handed tribal drum affinity, with pretty, layered vocal tracks providing the high end and an accordion laying out a sinewy, nearly Middle Eastern melody line. (Those are basically the only components of the song.) On this album, Morris creates something unusual, original, and impressive; from spare, seemingly unrelated (and seemingly unrelatable) bits she produces a sum far greater than the components. This is a beautiful album -- and an odd album, but in its strangeness, it is never off-putting. It is, in fact, downright beguiling.