Brooklynite Lydia Ainsworth took the stage armed with just a string duo (viola and cello), synth pad, laptop and vocal looper so that her one-person act comes across like a harmonized trio. On her opening song, the variations on a repetitive theme — softly arpeggiating blips accompanying her soft voice in an aqueous swirl — were as reminiscent of Philip Glass-y as her 'Island to Island' EP. That collection's electronic-based sound meant that only "Karaoke" made her Pop Montreal set, but it meant that Ainsworth was playing all new compositions.
Her third track started like a lullaby until her violinist (either Megan or Fiola, both of whom she thanked but didn't distinguish) chimed in with scraped string wails. The next was accentuated by strong cello swells and breakdowns from both musical counterparts, which juxtaposed neatly with her delicate voice until it too erupted in a powerful chorus. The rest of her set, characterized by harp plucks, synthesized claps, twinkling piano and ethereal wails, whetted appetites for mere news of a forthcoming full-length that rumors suggest is in the works, let alone the recorded work itself.
See more photos from Pop Montreal in our gallery here.
Her third track started like a lullaby until her violinist (either Megan or Fiola, both of whom she thanked but didn't distinguish) chimed in with scraped string wails. The next was accentuated by strong cello swells and breakdowns from both musical counterparts, which juxtaposed neatly with her delicate voice until it too erupted in a powerful chorus. The rest of her set, characterized by harp plucks, synthesized claps, twinkling piano and ethereal wails, whetted appetites for mere news of a forthcoming full-length that rumors suggest is in the works, let alone the recorded work itself.
See more photos from Pop Montreal in our gallery here.