A few years ago Robin Bacior managed to do something fresh in the overstuffed Brooklyn alt-folk scene with debut full-length Rest Our Wings (QRO review). She’s since moved to Portland and now releases Water Dreams, a sad piano chanteuse of a record that keeps up her quality.
After mixing between piano and guitar-twang on Wings, Bacior goes decidedly for keys on Dreams, but this is no synth-pop. Bacior plays a resigned, somewhat lost piano woman (reflecting her disconcerting move to Portland, and her actual dreams about water). The album is also very much a whole rather than a collection of tracks, giving a strong feel, though at the expense of real standout songs. But Bacior definitely puts herself out there, from opener “Your Best Advice” to closer “Poolside” (though having a piano instrumental, “River Move”, second on the track listing was a bit too early in the record).
For those who knew Rest Our Wings, Water Dreams can’t be as surprising, but it’s another strong release from a woman who shines in whatever alt-folk scene that she’s in.
Robin Bacior – Your Best Advice
