This Los Angeles underground “sci-fi priestess” really gets around. Diva Dompe, as she’s legally known, formed a band called BlackBlack with her sister Lola, has spent time as part of the indie sensation Pocahaunted and is also a member of the L.A. Ladies Choir, and now she brings us her magnetic solo debut. The press kit mentions the term “mutated” in its description of her music, and that’s apropos and then some. The misshapen sound forms make their presence felt immediately on early tracks. A distorted audio motif and some distant rhythms start things off with the instrumental “Shake Dreams.” It sounds like it’s playing through a screen door covered in layers of Saran Wrap, or something, like an effect created by the actual physical decay of the circuitry in the electronics. “Glow Worm” busts out an 80s Casio keyboard sound, but there’s also a bridge to the beyond. It’s a great song, electronic or otherwise, that serves up a nice, quirky melodic feel even before the vocals appear, and it all sounds flattened or compressed and with a little bit of reverb on top. “Liquid Garden” is strange and cool like David Bowie hung between his early 70s and early 80s tendencies. “Hold Me Again” is minimalist with indecipherable, deep space vocals. The excellent “Spinning Vines” hearkens back to a Martin Denny-esque tropical vacay with some pronounced and heavy percussion. Her entire aural package is “mutated” into a new alien voice. There’s a lot of interesting creative energy crammed into this relatively short album, and I predict it will take off this summer and make its way into a broader demographic. If all goes as it should she’ll be opening for Lady Gaga this time next year.
