Typically whenever I hear a line like, "Hello my name is human/ And I come from love", I leap across the room in one of those slow-motion Noooooooooo! shots to punch the EJECT button. But I'll give Sol Seppy a pass...this time. She sings that line on "Human", the second track from her debut album, The Bells of 1 2, so earnestly that I almost believe her, and she's backed only by an elegant piano theme that complements the lilt in her voice. It's a supremely pretentious moment, but undeniably heartfelt.
Sol Seppy is the stage name of Sophie Michalitsianos, a classically trained pianist and cellist who has collaborated and toured with Sparklehorse and is now releasing her own debut. The Bells of 1 2 is intended to be an enormous statement about the nature of humanity and the metaphysics of love. To convey her message-- that love defines humanity, that humanity's potential for love motivates events large and small-- Michalitsianos adopts an approach that could best be described as immensely intimate. Opener "1 2" begins with what sounds like a child's music box playing a small tune; a few measures in, a colossal organ fills the space around it. This contrast between titanic and tiny defines Michalitsianos' music, as she mixes earthy pop elements (she knows her way around a hook) with airier Western Christian hymns and canticles. Despite its overindulgences and insistences, The Bells of 1 2 proves enthralling as cathedral-size organs whirl majestically, synths pulse and flutter solemnly, violins swirl hypnotically, and piano notes resound tenderly. Drums are mostly absent, although programmed beats blare menacingly on the buzzy "Slo Fluzz" and "Move", sounding either like a retro nod to mid-1990s trip-hop or just a dated element.
In the middle of this joyful noise Michalitsianos sings in a breathy voice that alternates gentle confession and direct confrontation, intimating her beliefs and misgivings with obvious conviction. Despite the worldly reach of her lyrics, she makes The Bells of 1 2 sound curiously insular-- lonely even-- as if she's alone in her room picking out melodies on the piano (to an extent this impression is true: She recorded in the album in her own studio and acted as engineer and produder). As a result, despite the calculation that obviously went into these songs, they still sound dreamily spontaneous, creating a spiritual space in which Michalitsianos can practice a very personal form of worship that invokes Ensh'Allah on "Enter One" (the phrase means God's will) and gently proselytizes happiness on "Injoy". True, the meaning remains a little abstract and, as quoted above, sometimes silly, but the music sounds truly inspired.
