White Poppy – Natural Phenomena CD
NNF317
Crystal Dorval from Vancouver, Canada has been making healing, distorted rug-gaze music from a coastal mindset all her own since 2011. Natural Phenomena is her second album, and it echoes 2013’s previous self-titled effort in its isolationist origins, as the record emerged slowly across a 9-month retreat alone on a farm on Vancouver Island: “Some days I would only add one tiny guitar line or keyboard texture and that would be it for the day… it was a long process.” However grueling and gradual the method, what accrued is gold – 10 of Dorval’s deepest dreamdives, starry ambient pools, and dissolved guitar designs, ghosted through a lens of grey-skied pop. Songs wax and wane across faded rainbows of guitar, sunrise keyboards, looped percussion, and vocal ocean-spray. Behind Dorval’s gauze of warm noise glows something pure and newer than new age: “My hope is that these positive feelings will be communicated sonically, or in essence, and will be enriching for listeners.” A high height for a climbing talent; White Poppy blooms on cliffs of light. Written and recorded by C. Dorval. Mixed and mastered by J. Arner. Full-color four-panel digipak designed by C. Dorval.