"Shulamith" - Poliça [NPR Album Stream]

Shulamith, the new album from Minneapolis' Poliça, will see its official release on October 22nd, but today it is available for streaming via NPR.

According to Wikipedia, Shulamith is the feminine form of the name Solomon in Hebrew. Poliça have offered little explanation as to why they titled the album such, and when combined with the bloody artwork and Shulamith's smooth sound, we're left with a very mysterious package. All we can do is listen intently and hope to gain some form of understanding.

Lucky for us, the music of Shulamith goes down much easier than the question of its origin. Combining elements of synth pop, R&B, smooth rock, and electronica, Poliça have a sound that's difficult to pin down with a single genre tag. Shulamith's overall mood, however, could accurately be described as intoxicating. Throughout the stylistic curveballs it throws at its listeners, the album maintains hypnotic beats (thanks to polyrhythms provided by Poliça's two drummers), reverb-drenched vocals, and relatively slow tempos.

Also noteworthy is Justin Vernon's guest appearance on "Tiff," which stands out for its subtlety. Usually when Vernon's featured on a track, he draws the spotlight with his instantly-recognizable vocals, but "Tiff" finds him seated comfortably in the backseat, giving Poliça singer Channy Leaneagh enough room to make the song her own. Classy move, Justin.

Check out Shulamith's tracklist below, and preorder the album on Poliça's website.

1. - Chain My Name
2. - Smug
3. - Vegas
4. - Warrior Lord
5. - Very Cruel
6. - Torre
7. - Trippin
8. - Tiff (featuring Justin Vernon)
9. - Spilling Lines
10. - Matty
11. - I Need $
12. - So Leave