In case you were wondering, elucyve is the stage name of Phoebe Green's sister Lucy. This album is being released as something of a dual project (I've seen credit given to just Phoebe or to both), and it's clear that Lucy's unusual electronic endeavors take Green's ethereal pop to an entirely different universe.

Phoebe Green, elucyve Premature Nostalgia (The Green Dream Machine/Absolute)

This is pop, but it's twisted and deformed into almost unrecognizable shapes. Again, Lucy's hand is heavy and obvious. She deserves credit. And Phoebe has the vocal ability and lyrical intensity to match the stark clouds of unusual beauty in the music. Tone shifts from moment to moment. A quiet, introspective piece blossoms into a discordant anthem. A banger shifts into lower and lower gears. The unexpected becomes even more so as this album moves along.

I don't think Britpop is actually trending toward the weird, but if it is, then I'm all for it. This album takes chance after chance, and most of the time the risks pay off. These songs occupy singular spaces within this decidedly edgy album, one that never quite plants its flag anywhere. The theme is surfing the chaos of life, and as such this set is often quite messy.

As is life. The sound on this album is amazing, and the Green sisters clearly understand the joys of collaboration. They have fused their ideas and made them even more. One of the most striking pop albums I've heard in years.

Jon Worley