Album Review: Bernard + Edith - Jem

6 May 2015 | 4:02 pm | Guido Farnell

"Hauntingly beautiful electro pop"

Mancunian duo Bernard & Edith’s debut casts a spell with icy cool electronica and Edith’s bewitching vocals.

It’s surprising just how much Edith can sound like the angelic Elizabeth Fraser on cuts like Crocodile, which feels like homage probably because she’s signed to Bella Union. She reveals herself as a bit of an ice queen on cuts Tidal Wave and Jem as her vocals cascade with a certain lyricism over crystalline synth tones. Meanwhile, Bernard experiments with a palette of dreamy sounds, immersing us in a soundscape of surreal sonics. Hauntingly beautiful electro pop.