If the concept of mid-period Clark, with the noisier glitch-fests reined in and balanced with delicate female vocals appeals to you in the slightest, you need to investigate Vittoria Fleet.
Combining ethereal vocals with complex and often hard-hitting electronics, Vittoria Fleet provide one of the most engaging releases of 2014. From the opening pulse of the title track to the ambient fade-out and terminal click of “Savuca Redux” the Allan Shotter and Giada Zerbo’s passion for their craft shines through.
“Acht” sets the timbre for the album: layered synths, sound design and clipped beats evocative of “Turning Dragon” era Clark, and Giada Zerbo’s mannered, poignant vocals. “Give me a song / once more / again,” she entreats on the chorus, and Allan Shotter’s dense production delivers one. “Unconcealed” iterates on this potent formula, bringing to mind Lou Rhodes’ work on the debut Lamb LP, which had a similar meeting-of-the-minds vibe, backed with drum n’ bass instead of the beat-crushed IDM on display here.
According to n5md’s press material, “between the release of Kissing Cousins in 2011 and now, the duo migrated to [Berlin] Germany.” It seems they’ve found a fertile niche there, as tracks like “Frida” and “David” would have sat comfortably alongside releases from such Grey City stalwarts as Ellen Allien and Modeselektor.
There’s a synergy which sets this work apart though, since both musicians seem to be contributing equally to both the message and the medium. Little moments of vocal/instrumentation interplay like the build two-thirds through “Could be Something” and the way Zerbo’s layered vocals amplify the torch song vibe of “We’ll Wait” seem to transcend formula. “You’ve got to be strong,” she sings on that track—and it is strong indeed.
I’ll short-circuit further analysis and conclude here: if the concept of mid-period Clark, with the noisier glitch-fests reined in and balanced with delicate female vocals appeals to you in the slightest, you need to investigate Vittoria Fleet.
Acht is available on n5MD.
