4 Women No Cry Vol 2 is a compilation of four women (as you may have guessed by the title) from all over the world, all placed at similar points on the electro-pop spectrum. Gudrun Gut has vision out the ass for finding these little-known girls, ‘cause they should all be household names by now. Dorit Chrysler, a New York Austrian with a master's degree in Theremin, has it for sure. She expresses a breathtaking selection of clearly defined moods in her five ethereal chamber tracks, while being catchy enough that it’s hard to shake the idea I haven’t been listening to her my entire life. As such, she’s the clear highlight here. Following her, Mico of London digs deep into fat, warpy basslines and paranoid static, resting her emotional pallet on ominous menace. Whatever club this music is playing at, I want to be there. It’s as intriguing as it is sexy. Elsewhere, Berlin’s Monotekktoni covers her buoyant dance beats in an appropriate wash of distortion, venomous lyrics, and happy synths (except for “Pappeln,” which has her hurt vocals over field recordings and piano), while Iris has the softest touch of the four, featuring more ambient synths and frail, breathy vocals. It’s kinda like a poor man’s Björk does synth-pop. Not the most captivating material, but it’s not out of place here. As a personal preference, I find the quality of the album is at its highest in the beginning and lowers from there.
Dorit Chrysler
1. Spring Breeze
2. Satellite
3. Chlorophyll
4. My Sweet Chimera
5. Animoso
Mico
6. Signal Found
7. After Rain
8. Fruit Tree
Monotekktoni
9. Operation
10. Hands Up
11. No Cry
12. Pappeln
Iris
13. Already Ready
14. A Bath
15. Rolling Down
16. Song For A Past
More about: Various Artists: Monika
