by David Wilikofsky
We Are Time may be a young label, but they’re rapidly proving themselves to be one of the most exciting curatorial voices of the year. Co-founded by Chandra Oppenheim and Jesse Locke, the label’s last full length release was a short set of twitchy, catchy avant-rock. They’re following it up with something completely different, a set of “meditative spoken word techno” from Toronto musician Victoria Cheong. Over the past decade, Cheong has scored films and dance performances, remixed other artists and provided backing vocals for artists such as Jennifer Castle and Lido Pimienta. With Real Time, the latest album from her solo project New Chance, Cheong puts herself front and center with a set of adventurous electronic pop music.
“Eye of the Storm” opens the album on a foreboding note, melding washes of minor key synths with a slowly pulsing beat, but it doesn’t fully prepare you for the variety of sounds you’re about to hear. “Break My Waves” features frenetic, footwork-like beats, while “Fallen” is built on a combination of field recordings and a cappella rhythms. Other tracks like “Real Time” and “Unfeel” remind me of trip hop classics from Tricky. Perhaps this sounds too eclectic on paper, but it comes together as a cohesive whole because of Cheong’s vocals. Whether playing spoken word artist or sensual pop diva, her voice provides a much needed aural through line for the entire set.
Cheong’s lyrics are meditative or introspective, contemplating everything from the materiality of our bodies to relationships new and old. Although her lyrics are often abstract, the backing tracks she chooses always seem carefully composed to illuminate her words. “Earth House (Turning)”, the song about the body’s materiality, features a looping instrumental that emphasizes the constant recycling and reforming of matter considered in the lyrics. The eerie beats of “Out To The Edge” serenade a journey into the depths of the internet and our screens. Even small moments that the average listener might miss feel deeply considered. For instance, as Cheong sings the words “sends us into space” on “Earth House (Turning)”, the song’s pulsing beat suddenly drops, almost like the Earth releasing its gravitational pull.
Because Real Time is so sonically rich, there’s always a new detail to discover each time you listen. There may not be a lot of meditative spoken word techno out there, but listening to an album as thoughtfully constructed as this one I can’t help but think there should be more.