All Bets Are Off

All Bets Are Off is Tamar Apheks first full-length release as a solo artist, but shes been making music for years as a member of different Israeli bands and as a composer. Maybe thats why her debut album has such a distinctive mix of familiarity and strangeness -- every time it feels like things might be remotely predictable, she changes things up again. Russian Winter, the dense, knotty rocker that kicks off All Bets Are Off, sounds like it starts in medias res, leaving listeners to play catch-up with her. Its a feeling that extends to nearly every other song here, as Aphek and her band combine touches of punk, psychedelic, and jazz in ever-changing ways. Apheks style is more flowing and sensual than on her previous EPs Collision and One Week and a Day, whether shes contemplating the serenely spooky mysteries of All I Know or letting her guitars and David Gorensteyns drums coil around her like serpents on Drive. The albums lone constant -- and often, the eye of its storm -- is Apheks calmly commanding alto. The coolness in her voice underscores her affinity for jazz and jazz vocalists in the understated vein of Julie London and Peggy Lee, especially on the winking cover of As Time Goes By that closes All Bets Are Off. At times, Apheks blase attitude feels above it all, as on Show Me Your Pretty Side, where she displays a feline sense of self-possession among its gnarled guitars and wisps of saxophone. At others, it feels like shes holding back; on Too Much Information and Nothing Can Surprise Me, her wry delivery contains multitudes. Frequently, All Bets Are Off feels like a collection of noir short stories from the femme fatales point of view. Stab him with your high heels/Then run, she sighs on Crossbow, a standout that sounds like a chase scene with no escape. Poised somewhere between elegance and ferocity, All Bets Are Off is an exciting debut from an artist who thrives on the unexpected. ~ Heather Phares

As Time Goes Byのカヴァーから連想できたキャバレー・ソングやジャズを歌うアンニュイな女性シンガー――というイメージを、ニューウェイヴなバンド・サウンドと共に打ち出した、イスラエルのシンガー・ソングライターによるファースト・アルバム。ムーディーな前半から一転、一気にダンサブルになる後半とのコントラストがあまりにもスリリング。ラテンやファンクに根差した手数の多いバンドの演奏も聴きどころだ。
bounce (C)山口智男