THE GOLDEN FILTER

Voluspa

[Brille Records]

After carefully cultivating an enigmatic air through a series of singles, remixes and artfully composed photographs obscuring their faces, the Golden Filter finally steps out with its full-length debut—and dispels none of the mystery. Voluspa, named for an ancient epic Norse creation-myth poem, is 11 tracks of gauzy electro-pop, with ethereal vocals from Penelope Trappes over pulsing synthesizers and gently propulsive beats from Stephen Hindman. Sometimes the music is lush, stacking layers of vocals over glittering keyboard vamps on “Hide Me” or gliding ahead on the relentless beat and Trappes’ breathy voice on “Solid Gold.” Sometimes it’s stripped down, as on “Nerida’s Gone,” in which mournful strings float over spare piano. The inscrutable songs are hypnotic and opaque enough to reflect whatever it is you want to see while lost in their swirling embrace. It’s easy to get lost in this vast, twilit sonic space, all the more because the Golden Filter keeps to the shadows.

–ED