Mountains and Tumult is the first album by emerging artist Annie Barker. Supported by Barker’s own record label, Beautiful Revolution Records, the album would have once been well suited for the legendary 4AD records.

At times, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the album was produced by Robin Guthrie, formerly of the Cocteau Twins, who also plays guitars, bass and drums. The lush and shimmering dreampop guitars and swirling melodies are lovely and compliment the artist’s voice well. But, as mentioned before, tracks like “Amphetamine Dream,”  “Mountains and Tumult,” and “Revolutionary Rock n’ Roll” come far too close for an accurate assessment of the project without being unfairly labeled as a “Cocteau Twins rip-off without Liz Fraser.” The comparison is totally inescapable. There’s nothing wrong with recreating the Cocteau Twins, but Barker’s voice is too lovely to suffer that kind of injustice.

To avoid future comparisons, Barker may wish to expand her style to reflect her ability to belt out tunes in a lower range, as she does on “I Want,“ and “Gripped With That Leg.” These are strong tracks that suggest her desire to be doing something new, musically, and this reviewer hopes that more will be forthcoming in this style.

There are a few weak links on the album, in which Barker strays too far from shimmering dreampop and delves into the realm of heartfelt songstress, though there’s once more the undeniable sense that Barker is trying something new.

The best songs on the album lie in between the Cocteau Twins-esque tracks and these weaker tracks. “Pretty Boy Game” and “Kissed Me” are incredible songs, perfectly suited to the light orchestration that Barker and Guthrie lay at their feet and the strong mid-range lilting vocals that soar above.

www.anniebarker.com