Līva Dumpe: Tālskatis

Sometimes things are seen more clearly from a distance. That is the underlying conviction animating Tālskatis, the debut release from Latvian vocalist Līva Dumpe. "Tālskatis" is the Latvian term for a monocular, and the quest for vision, whether personal or political, permeates the album. Dumpe's own creative perspective was shaped in part by a move to the Netherlands and her studies at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, which has allowed her to bring a thoroughly modern musical sensibility to her art, although she still retains traces of her formative cultural influences.

The ten compositions, all penned by Dumpe, reflect the singer's restless muse. The title track possesses a supple folk structure, sung in Latvian, albeit with intriguing vocal harmonies added throughout. Dumpe's colleagues bring an open-ended spirit to this piece and to the album as a whole, which offers plenty of surprises. Flautist Ketija Ringa- Karahona, guitarist Massimo Imperatore, bassist Omer Govreen and drummer Ilia Raskin have malleable instincts which enable them to weave their way through Dumpe's imaginative and sometimes knotty pathways. "Zieda un cirvja strīdā" is another piece sung in Latvian, although the linguistic divide is negligible given the band's airtight support, enlivened especially by Ringa-Karahona's lyrical flute solo and Imperatore's rich harmonic backdrop.

Other pieces are even more adventurous. "Compromise" is built around an appropriation of a defiant Eartha Kitt interview challenging female passivity; Imperatore's feisty guitar solo is perfect in channeling the piece's resilience, as are the skillfully overdubbed vocal harmonizations. "Hidden Storm" works up a heady, odd-meter groove, while the skittering "Raisin rondo" traverses a range of moods and motifs in its relatively brief two minutes, with Dumpe's expressive wordless vocalizations coming to the fore and the band reveling in its freedom.

The album's most poignant moment may be the three-part "Fight mini-symphony," a reflection on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here Dumpe's Latvian background gives her a particularly potent vantage point from which to observe and lament that conflict, and her vocal leaps and surges are especially effective. The suite lasts only around nine minutes, but Dumpe explores a lot of ground, from fear to fury, and the power of her vision is unmistakable. The fortitude Dumpe brings to her craft is evident here and throughout this compelling release. It heralds a bright future for this imaginative artist.