Lia Ices

Lia Ices' willowy vocals waft effortlessly across the opening moments of "Love Is Won," piercing the quiet, backed only by simple piano chords, heavily-reverbed like the thick condensation of air above a lake at summer's dawn. It is a fitting introduction to the avant-garde pop songstress, as her voice is her greatest instrument. Like a swift seductress in murky waters, her barely-above-a-whisper coos resonate throughout the subtle orchestrations on "Little Marriage," in a wispy, lilting fashion, embellished with bells and finger snaps. Though Grown Unknown does begin to feel slightly redundant in its form towards the end, with mellow, mid-tempo avant ballads sandwiched between more of the same, Ices' sophomore effort sees her develop her own voice. Rather than echo the safety of the piano-based singer-songwriter vibe that permeated debut Necima, she shows a more solid understanding of herself as an artist, experimenting with wider, vaster soundscapes. Captivating standout tracks "Grown Unknown" and "Daphne," (feauting Bon Iver's Justin Vernon) play to Ices' greatest strengths, embracing her more experimental leanings atop interesting instrumental backdrops. Ultimately, Lia Ices' voice is the main attraction. It is, in effect, the conductor guiding the instrumentation and the siren captivating by injecting an ethereal, effervescent vitality and experimental avant-garde lean into an otherwise familiar and tired formula.