Lisel – Angels on the Slope

Her solo debut album is a spaceship ride to tomorrow

Known for her curious and dreamy take on pop music, Eliza Baggs has crafted musical experiences since her early years. The Los Angeles based musician draws much of her experimental performance inspiration from her background of being classically trained in violin and her Bachelors in Music from Yale University. Though her background in music is bursting at the seams with collaborations and notable duets, Baggs work with band Pavo Pavo paved the way to the creation of her first solo album under the name Lisel titled Angels on the Slope.

The complex and alienesque inner workings of all 10 tracks are woven together like a bunch of elaborate puzzle pieces. From one track to the next, Baggs sounds like a harmonic angel. The elegance heard in each note is carried around like billowing clouds. “Digital Light Field” plays on cliches of ’80s synth-pop beats and auto-tune but through the layers of silky melodies, Baggs remains at the center with her vocals. Although tracks like “Vanity” and “Mirage” play heavily into the chaotic layering of beats and sounds all at once, the album continues to keep a misty and curious demeanor. “Hunker Down” provides a hypnotic beat and the oddity that makes Baggs standout from the rest. The synth-indie pop infusion creates an easily rememberable track.

Although Angels on the Slope is anything but a lyrically driven album, “Sun and the Swarm” provides a touch of pure soprano magic through each word the graces Baggs’ lips. The highest point on this journey, though, is found in “Bloodletting.” The listener has whisked away through a flurry of light flutes and percussion that eventually lands at the feet of a tame but powerful Bagg. Saxophone, flute and vocals gently bring the listener off into a world of pure elegance. Angels on the Slope is filled with tracks that should easily be found in the discography of an artist with decades of experience. Her innovation will prove time and again that she is other-worldly and here to change indie-pop.