One Track Mind

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Keytar slinging hotties don’t grow on trees, which likely explains the fairly broad swath Juliette Commagere has cut through pop music over the last few years. She fronted the glammish Hello Stranger, is a member of Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan’s sideband Puscifer, and has performed with The Bird and the Bee and Ry Cooder.

That’s a pretty eclectic range of performers to work with, and Commagere’s own music has been similarly hard to pin down. Hello Stranger’s music always leaned towards an upbeat new wave/glitter rock mix, while her solo debut Queens Die Proudly was of a more somber cast, leaning towards ambient experimentation during its second half.

If “Impact” is any indication, Commagere will be in a more bubbly, synth-pop mode on her upcoming second album, The Procession (slated for an October 26th release by Manimal Vinyl).

“Impact” percolates along quite agreeably on synthesized tropical vibe then introduces a new wavish keyboard riff on the chorus, while Commagere recounts what seems to be the tale of a panic attack brought on by a marriage proposal in what is probably the sweetest and sexiest vocal performance of her career so far. It’s charmer of a track that sounds somewhat like the Brazilian Girls if they were produced by Ric Ocasek. If it’s representative of the album as a whole, The Procession will be one to watch out for.