Sally Shapiro, Somewhere Else
Featured Album
An unabashedly romantic head rush
An unabashedly romantic head rush, the third effort by the Swedish duo (consisting of Shapiro and producer Johan Agebjörn) contains a world of candy heart-worthy sweet nothings, rendered irresistible by Shapiro’s coquettish whisper. No longer simply contented to fall lockstep with Italo Disco, Somewhere Else lets elements of acid house, dance and good ol’ fashioned electro pop bleed around the edges of each track.
As with previous albums, retro turns are delivered with a knowing wink (See: dance-floor filler “This City’s Local Italo Disco DJ Has A Crush On Me”). “Sundown” contains a “Careless Whisper”-era saxophone solo, paired with a saccharine synth that blurs the line between slinky and sleazy. Upbeat ode to impossible love “Starman” features both a four-on-the-floor beat and the time-tested metaphor for romantic satisfaction — a trip to outer space. The album implies a promise: that the listener will be transported by the sheer strength of Shapiro’s longing. And indeed, many songs play like a daydreamer’s manifesto. But Sally Shapiro’s music has always been a testament to the transportive power of longing, lust and love, and going Somewhere Else, by now, is just what we expect.
