Corrina Repp - It's Only the Future

Corrina Repp
It’s Only the Future
Hush Records
Grade: A-

It’s Only the Future is Portland, OR-based Corrina Repp’s latest offering to the unknowing masses. Focusing her efforts in Portland, Repp is not very well known outside of the Northwest enclave but this record may change that. She has done a couple of regional tours with the always improving the Decemberists, but not much beyond that. Featuring the minimalist, ambient electronics of collaborator Keith Schreiner (of Dahlia), Repp provides breathy, smoky vocals to ten songs that bring the down the blood pressure and smoothes out your Cradle of Filth high. Though varying comparisons have been made to other indy female singer-songwriters, the unassuming compositions of Azure Ray probably provide the best reference point. Repp’s voice barely gets above a whisper, but that is enough to keep you transfixed on the next lyric. Some of the highlights here include the quiet ambient build up on “You Almost Made It Out, But You Turned Around” and the slight beat and vocal combination on “No One’s Telling.” Others of note include the surprisingly catchy “Finally,” the chorus on “Here’s Someone Else” and the most rock-orientated song “Lost At Sea.” This is a record I recommend to anyone with a fondness for either the ambient electronic bliss of Temporary Residence or the singer-songwriter flair of Saddle Creek. I do hope that Repp makes it over to this coast for a few dates. A partial tour with members of the Saddle Creek family, particularly Now It’s Overhead, would make for a dazzling evening.