Pamela Martinez might be described as America’s answer to Bjork,
\nif more people knew of her. Not that her musical style literally
\nresembles that of the art-pop princess from Island… but Martinez
\ndoes show strong influences.<\/p>\n
As you might have guessed, Martinez’s music has rich textures of
\nquirky electronic sounds supported by vague and fragmented — and
\nmostly electronic — rhythmic percussive thumping. But she is
\nprimarily a violin player, and as a result her music also features
\nprominent string arrangements. Martinez uses the violin much like
\nthe way the lead guitarist of a grunge band uses his guitar — to
\ncreate a distorting effect, which paradoxically acts as the most
\nfascinating part of the music.<\/p>\n
On her independently released debut EP
\nPamela Martinez: Untitled Volume One<\/i>, Martinez juxtaposes
\ntrippy electronics with crazy violin abuses, yielding a psychedelic
\nmix of the natural and the artificial.<\/p>\n
The opening number “Formless Scientific,” which probably has the
\nheaviest Bjorkinfluence on the record, substitutes the off-beat
\nelectronics of a Bjork number with some of her violin arrangements,
\nand the beats behind sound like insect noises magnified, amplified,
\nand synthesized to sound as unnatural as possible (which is so like
\nthe way Bjork does it).<\/p>\n
On “Inzolen” — probably the outstanding track of the EP — the
\nstrings rise to a gradual crescendo from absolute nothingness, and
\njust when you expect a climax to happen, the song is over; much
\nbefore it should. This is the inexperience of an independent
\nartist. Still, this track turns out to be nothing less than
\nawesome.<\/p>\n
Martinez knows her electronics very well, and she is a damn good
\nviolin player. Most importantly, she knows how to use them wisely
\nso that they provide interesting textures. She sings well too, and
\nhas got what it takes to be weird: her face is seen painted with
\ncryptic messages that try to say something that no one understands.
\nAll that is left is some more material from her to really prove her
\ntalent and gain her some well-deserved recognition.<\/p>\n