The musical past of Elizabeth Harper, the frontwoman for Brooklyn electronic pop outfit Class Actress, is fairly well-documented-- it's something even the band doesn't attempt to hide. And yet, with the arrival of Class Actress's debut full-length, Rapprocher, that past seems worth pointing out again, if only to illustrate the drastic turn her career's taken over the past eight or so years. In 2004, years before Class Actress came into existence, Harper released a self-titled solo album of singer/songwriter-y material with no spangly synths. Even if what she was doing then wasn't terribly compelling, you get the impression she valued substance over style. Skip to five years later when Harper linked up with producer Mark Richardson (no relation to Pitchfork's editor-in-chief) and engineer/multi-instrumentalist Scott Rosenthal for Class Actress' debut EP, Journal of Ardency, and you can almost hear her sonically relocating from open-mic night culture to cool, cosmopolitan glam-- in other words, from one part of Manhattan to, well, another part of Manhattan. (Even if they do call themselves a Brooklyn band, the truth is that Class Actress have never sounded like they're from Brooklyn.)
The cover of Rapprocher brings that transformation full circle: witness Harper, lying on white sheets, mugging seductively for the camera with something awfully sparkly hiding behind her ear. It's a glamorous image, and besides being incredibly reminiscent of the cover art for Bryan Ferry's solo album from last year, Olympia, it's an excellent representation of how Rapprocher sounds-- that is, luxurious and picture-perfect in presentation. The somewhat shy intimacy that marked Journal of Ardency is more or less gone, replaced by bright, layered production. (If Richardson and Rosenthal ever decide to ditch the band thing to become for-hire studio rats, they'll have little trouble finding work.) The synth work on Rapprocher is particularly impressive, maintaining a tangy sharpness while a pop sweetness flows from every corner.
Eschewing any notions of "indie" that come with releasing a record on the increasingly faddish Carpark label, Rapprocher is a capital-P pop album, and a pretty good one at that. Despite the band's cited influences (Depeche Mode, the first few Madonna albums), a fair amount of this record sounds rooted in the more out-there sounds of contemporary pop. (If you're skeptical, listen to "Prove Me Wrong" back to back with Ludacris' "Splash Waterfalls".) There's little doubt that Class Actress are ambitious for success beyond opening tour slots; even the lyrical content, which is super-generalized and occasionally empty of meaning, suggest a yearning for mainstream achievement outside the five boroughs. Honestly, I'm not sure this album is their ticket to that party. Don't get me wrong, they sound plenty accessible here, and it's only a matter of time before early singles "Keep You" and "Weekend" find placement on a TV show on the CW. Considering the populist roots of their sound, though, Class Actress still sound a little too weird to truly break through (and if they toned that weirdness down, this record just wouldn't be as interesting).
Another barrier holding Rapprocher from being a complete success is Elizabeth Harper's voice, a voice that worked well amidst the low-key surroundings on Journal of Ardency but often falters here. The issue at hand: there are more than a few songs ("Keep You" and "Love Me Like You Used To" being the most egregious offenders) with choruses that call for world-beating, chest-thumping delivery. Harper doesn't have the strength for that, so every time she tries to tackle those, it fizzles like a wet bottle rocket. She fares much better on the album's closing track, "Let Me In", an electro-bliss freefall that takes Rapprocher out on a slo-mo rocket of beauty. Otherwise, she still sounds like she's struggling to find what fits her best-- she's come this far, though, so be patient.
