An already steady infatuation with Cross Record has been on the rise for me since I first heard her stunning “Maybe I'm Crazy” last month, and the delivery of an Etc. EP is only adding icing to the proverbial cake. The short 6-song EP feels not at all like a collection of B-sides, but instead a photograph of sonic bits and pieces that fit together like an instrumental, experimental puzzle. Particularly in Emily Cross's confoundingly gorgeous and challenging cover of Chris Isaak's “Wicked Games”, you'll find that Etc. is a self-conscious title for a record that actually gives much more than it lets on. Tune in at the fifth track, “Stuart Beach”, to hear some gentle waves at the close of a minor-melody instrumental, and you'll be so captivated as to be entranced. This is the best release I've heard all week.
You can stream Etc. below. Cross Record's Be Good is out now on BaDaBing! Records.
