Torres
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Beautiful & fierce, alternative pop
Status:
Most recent release, Three Futures (2017)
See also:
Torres's site
Comparisons:
Emma Ruth Rundle, Bat For Lashes, PJ Harvey, Cat Power
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Truly great stuff—someone Pitchfork(?) describes her as a cross between PJ Harvey and EMA. She's got a voice and she know how to use it. (Neile)
Comments about live performance:
I saw Torres (twice!) at SXSW earlier this year. She was great! Definitely someone to watch. (neal)
Recommended first album:
Either
Recordings:
- Torres (2012)
- Sprinter (2015)
- Three Futures (2017)
Torres
Release info:
2012
Availability:
wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Mackenzie Scott—vocals, guitars, percussion
Guest artists:
Chris DePorter—drums, percussion
Brady Surface—bass, synth
Mark Sloan—guitar, Rhodes
Bobby Chase—violin
Nathalie Press—backing vocals (4)
Ryan McFadden—drum programming (6, 8)
Produced by:
Mackenzie Scott and Ryan McFadden
Comments:
A strongly emotional, evocative album. Melancholy and haunting pop. It's is a great debut. About three-quarters is amazing—the rest is only very good. Sad, really (I joke). One of the top albums of the year. (Neile)One of the top albums of the year. (gordoja@optonline.net)
Sprinter
Release info:
2015—Partisan Records
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Mackenzie Scott—vocals, guitars, synthesizers
Guest artists:
Rob Ellis—drums, synthesizers, percussion, Moog, Stylophone, backing vocals
Chris Hamilton—programming, treatments, Moog, guitar
Adrian Utley—guitar, oberheim moog, temple blocks
Ian Olliver—bass
Scanner—synthesizers, treatments
BJ Cole—pedal steel
Produced by:
Rob Ellis and Mackenzie Scott
Comments:
Still melancholy, but with an added edge. Gorgeous moments, angry moments. A truly expressive, affecting album. Every bit as strong as her debut. (Neile)
Three Futures
Release info:
2017—4AD
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Mackenzie Scott—vocals, guitar, drum programming, synthesizer
Guest artists:
Dahm Majuri Cipolla—drums, electronic sampler
Cameron Kapoor—guitar, analog modular instructor, synthesizers
Erin Manning—moog, synthesizers, keyboards
Chris Hamilton—synthesizers, sound treatments, drum machine
Ben Chrisophers—synthesizers, sound treatments, omnichord
Adrian Utley—synthesizers
Rob Ellis—electronic percussion, synthesizers, drum programming
Produced by:
Rob Ellis & Mackenzie Scott
Comments:
A strong-voiced and powerful album. Rich, smart, provocative. Though I like all the songs and they're all hard to agnore, my favourite is probably "Helen In The Woods"—it's so compelling. Overall this is one of my favourite albums of the year. (Neile)Torres's [Three Futures] is my favorite she's recorded yet (if it's fair to compare her to PJ Harvey, I'd call this one her Is This Desire?. It's fantastic. (timjy@sbcglobal.net)
