MJ Guider – Precious Systems

There’s something deliciously stranded about Melissa Guion’s debut LP. A sense of hinterland; of viewing things from afar, each brooding chord bathed in retro-electronic dispassion. Like an ecclesiastical take upon synthpop mores, Guion leaves behind the handclaps and sequins, winding back the pace to expose something truer amongst the tape delays and subtle twinges of bass guitar – opener Lit Negative indicating scope with its vaulted elegance and frosted, uninterested vocals.

Such themes are repeated elsewhere but with reference points fleeting; one moment it’s Curve (the excellent Triple Black), the next it could be Soft Cell… Ultra-era Depeche Mode… maybe even a little Enya thrown in for good measure; the point being that Precious Systems is an intelligent facsimile of familiarity. By the time that the 10+ minutes of Evencycle arrive, its mantra of 'In control' subjugated by conflicting drum patterns and cloying, mutating chords, it’s quite possible to feel a little overawed. This is a very clever pop record.