Brighton based experimental duo Dog In The Snow release their first EP through local label Love Thy Neighbour this October. It's a collection of three atmospheric songs blending singer/guitarist Helen Ganya Brown's distinctive vocal with electronics from collaborator and visual artist Eva Bowan. The band have been very warmly received locally so far, getting support slots for Real Estate, D.D Dumbo and Chrysta Bell, whilst reportedly sharing circles with Fear of Men and artists from Anti-Ghost Moon Ray Collective. This EP is the first hints of what is to come as the duo have been working with renowned producer Steve Hillier who has worked with Gary Numan and Keane as well as being a founding member of Dubstar. It's a strange dream-like collection of songs with unusual arrangements that are still relatively lean for this sort of experimental electronica. It's only the last track, 'Plastic Body' that extends beyond the five minute mark and even then not excessively.
It's Helen's decisive, crystal clear vocals that tend to take centre stage. She carefully pronounces every syllable, strong, but not R&B diva strong. There's something almost robotic about it, like a replicant from Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, resigned, disengaged but still forceful. It reminds me a little of PJ Harvey, but not the strange shrill vocals she delivered on Let England Shake. 'Proxy' seems to be telling a nighmarish tale, “At night I heard footsteps coming / Was it death in human form? / He made his way into my world, creeping / And I was screaming at the shape”, but she's not screaming – the vocal delivery although clear and purposeful seems resigned to the fate described and the music seems soft and smooth, although there is certainly an underlying sense of menace to it.
Adam Kidd