The Golden Record

The Golden Record is the knockout debut by Laurel Sprengelmeyer who sings, writes the songs, and plays guitar, violin, piano, and synths under the moniker Little Scream. Together with the Arcade Fire’s Richard Parry, who co-produces and plays multiple instruments, they create a sonic universe filled with inventive arrangements, lushly textured instrumentation, and powerful songs. Adventurous chamber pop, dreamy, reverb-laden folk, and indie rock are all represented but in forms that blur the boundaries of each genre. Each track has its own identity or defining feature that sets it apart. Two examples among many: the way the hushed melody of “People of Place” drifts into the beginning of “Red Hunting Jacket” before erupting unexpectedly into a joyous piano riff and rocking chorus, and the way in which the dynamic “Boatman” careens between violin trills and crashing percussion. Her vocals are gorgeous throughout. She sings tenderly and softly on the sublime acoustic ballad “The Heron and the Fox”, emotes forcefully on “Cannons”, and artfully becomes part of the swirling atmosphere on the spacious, dreamy “Black Cloud” and “Guyegaros”.