Caroline’s Sailboat as Flows of Desire through the Frou Frou to Polachek Pipeline

In an interview, Caroline Polachek speaks of her concept of desire “like electricity, like the physical force that moves us through the world that’s like the force of our will”, and in extension, her sailboat - the one in which she hallucinates Cher’s voice in Dov’è l’amore as a “white sailboat that was chopping through the ocean so purely and victoriously” “I was moved to tears by hearing it and I kind of wanted to try my hand at that kind of quite openhearted throwing everything to the wind”.

Nowhere is this playful skidding off the water more apparent than in Imogen’s earlier work with producer Guy Sigsworth as Frou Frou. On the first track off their album Details you’ll find violins swelling as if they were dolphins emerging up to the surface to jump, alongside the Fruitiger Aeroesque bubbly clarity of sparse piano notes, a bouncing cello, the persistent drum pattern that glues the whole movement together, Imogen’s voice floating and wavering voice above it all. The next song, Breathe In, skids so effortlessly as if it lives in its own geometry and it dances there. A dream-like hypnotism, “now what was the question” as if the process of songwriting is completely natural, unplanned, intuitive, and free flowing. Clashing, weaving, constructing grounds for a release at the climax. Must Be Dreaming riffs off the themes built thus far to build a subconscious whirring and fleeting machine. “Euphoria, I can’t take anymore of ya” on to Psychobabble, which brings us further into the aesthetics of industrialization with booming metallic bells and tip tap tapping. “Make no sudden movements” as a yaylı tambur-like string ensemble makes an unexpected appearance - just another addition to the tense and disorienting atmosphere.

There’s a sense of excitement and surprise. 17 years later the torch is passed onto Caroline Polachek releasing her debut album, Pang.. Aside from the most obvious signs, the breathy hyper-synthetic voice, or the mirroring of the Must Be Dreaming music video for Door, an evasive spirit ignites once more - one that skids off the water in the same way. “Now what is this feeling I know you from long ago?” This time, it’s condensed into its purest form. It’s at its most minimalist, its most intricate, tight and intentional. Ever so delightfully weird and unpredictable, almost absurdist. I just can’t stop laughing about the casual squealing in the background of Ocean of Tears., and then the most out of place synthesised guitar ever. But don’t be fooled, some of the songs are just beautiful beyond words - by the 3rd chorus, door has a 2 minute climax that takes you through various surrealist soundscapes, it morphs until it just turns to glitter at the end. Running running running running.. It’s just full of Moments like that. It’s magic. I’m not even gonna try to talk about So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings. When I first listened to it out of context with the rest of the album, the subtleties were lost on me,, but within the musical space of the rest of the record you will find a ridiculous amount of tension with each dainty lil pluck, careful to express how much they really care! and I just wanna tell them I love you it’s okay! You don’t have to be afraid anymore.