Fat Transfer "My Heart, the Cave"

Listen to/download My Heart, the Cave

What if The Residents made a bossa nova record? What if Arto Lindsay were locked in a room with only a tape recorder and a casiotone? Fat Transfer answers these questions and more on her recent bandcamp release, My Heart, the Cave. Drum machines and synths clang and distort against one another in tracks like "Empty Chairs" and "Space", over which a soothing and reassuring voice directs the listener toward the pulsing heart of a woman in love with love.

On both the title track and "The Curse of Sensitivity", this soothing voice is warped (perhaps via Tascam Pitch control) into crooning chipmunks and singing fetuses. What is so striking about the warped voice is it’s ability to transcend its own silliness into something quite heartfelt and endearing upon further listening. What if Bjork released an Alvin and the Chipmunks record?

Seas of synths and lush chords flood songs like "The Boat", and "The Water". These tracks seep even deeper into the psyche thanks to some rather choice samples of what sounds like laughter from a party or a concert, and the sound of running water on the latter. These were actually two of my favorite tracks on the album, leading me to hope that the next album has an aquatic theme.

My Heart, the Cave is an album as enveloping as it is mysterious. I am hard pressed to come up with an album that has transported me to the realm of dreams and fog as effectively as this one has. If you really want to know what it feels like to exist in some one else’s head, I recommend you download this record right away. Why not download her other releases while you’re at it? Weird, intriguing, and more and more rewarding with each listen. -Adam