EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints

Source: The List (Issue 680)
Date: 25 April 2011
Written by: Miles Fielder

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Slow-burning alt.rock from the former Gowns and Amps for Christ noise-folker

(Souterrain Transmissions)

Erika M Anderson (EMA), formerly of the folk-noise outfits Amps for Christ and Gowns, makes her solo debut with this ethereal collection of lo-fi grunge ballads. Hushed vocals set to low-key guitar strumming that builds to a fuzz of distortion and feedback, right from opener ‘The Grey Ship’, makes for an impressive, escalating and intensifying aural assault. And the songs, such as ‘Butterfly Knife’, which was inspired by a local teen goth murder case, reflect the former South Dakota country girl’s fascination with the dark side of her adopted big city home Los Angeles. Past Life Martyred Saints is a slow-burner, in a good way.