Afterglow Dot Allison CD Arista 1999

Dot Allison, former vocalist for the sorely missed Scottish trio One Dove, makes her solo debut with this dreamy, barely lucid record. Full of songs that bathe in half-speed dub beats, Afterglow broods with downcast eyes, yearning for transcendent escapes and peaceful sanctuaries. With the able assistance of Death in Vegas’s Richard Fearless, noted ’60s songwriter Hal David, and even indie guitar legend Kevin Shields, Allison swoons with confidence, shuffling out song after song of bleary-eyed danceability and electronic atmospherics. The material smears together trip-hop, ambient music, and pop song savvy, marrying Mazzy Star-style shoe-gazer pop with Beth Orton’s pseudo-electronic folk. Still, Allison’s varied approach gives her music an unpredictable edge all its own. The stripped-down rhythms and pop chorus of “Close Your Eyes” give way to the droning abstractions and chanting vocals of “Message Personnel.” “Colour Me” already sounds like a comedown classic, with its sensuous bass grooves and hook-laden, vocoder-assisted chorus. The dark piano tinkling and acoustic touches of “Alpha Female” give Allison’s expressive, breathy vocals room to shine. Taken together, these songs find a particular, otherworldly grace, dancing with abandon yet hovering just above the ground. –Matthew Cooke