Vagabon // Infinite Worlds

Vagabon

Infinite Worlds

Father/Daughter Records 

4.25/5 stars

The unfiltered emotion let out by singer Laetitia Tamko is undeniable and immediately effective. With a vocal tone somewhere between Hop Along and Frankie Cosmos, Tamko finds a perfect resonance with listeners, while remaining decidedly imperfect. It's this honesty shining through that makes Vagabon rise above typical lo-fi indie rock offerings. Tamko is a multi-instrumentalist, playing nearly every note of Infinite Worlds. The remarkable result is a debut album that has the unbridled energy of a full band. That energy starts off audibly fierce in the first half of the album. "Mal á L'aise" serves as a dreamy synth-driven intermission against a quiet conversational French backdrop. The fuzzy, rough edges continue through "100 Years," while the last three songs find a much more subdued tone. The plucked, meditative reverence of the final section shows her self-reflective songwriting in a different light that's just as compelling as the first half. The songs grapple with moving on, both mentally and physically, from love and memories. It's a personal record, full of deceptively profound substance.

– Nick Warren