Psapp Issue #39

The Camel’s Back

By Anna Giuliani
Published: March 1st, 2009 | 3:24pm

On their newest, The Camel’s Back, Psapp continue to splice electronic and organic components together, pairing singer Galia Durant’s relaxed vocals with laptop percussion from curious sources. Strums, whirs, and wheezes are coaxed from instruments standard and fantastical: banjo, marimba, washboard, and blender permeate Psapp’s orbit, lending their songs, however melancholy, a distinctively playful air.

On Camel’s Back, Durant sounds stronger than on 2006’s The Only Thing I Ever Wanted, and “I Want That” begins the album with Durant confidently demanding that her desires be met, while percolating bubbles hint at the tension just underneath. The sexually-charged mood dissipates to the calming fluidity of “Part Like Waves,” then plink-y keyboards take over and the mood shifts: a now resigned-sounding Durant sings, “You have crushed me dry / From the blood to the tears in my eyes / No one will ever want me now.”

“Fickle Ghost” picks up The Only Thing’s serpentine beats, orchestral punctuation, and ticklish keyboards for pleasant, effervescent results. Though Psapp doesn’t stray far from past sounds, it’s difficult to find fault with results this lovely.