The erratic and sometimes wondrous world of
Hundred Waters receives its third expansion with 2017's vibrant full-length release,
Communicating. Since emerging in 2012, the Florida-via-Los Angeles experimental project has challenged listeners with an ever-evolving panoply of organic acoustic instrumentation, intimate electronic pop, and a sort of modern-day musique concrete involving a wide range of unusual samples and found sounds. Initially, the bright refrains of opening track "Particle" suggest that
Hundred Waters may have transitioned into full-on pop mode, but as
Communicating begins to unfold, it becomes clear their approach is as askew as ever. "Wave to Anchor," an uptempo dish of melodic piano pop, dazzles with its pleasantly bouncy arrangement and sudden stabs of blinding, calliope-like arpeggiations. The gorgeous "Re:" utilizes vintage choral samples behind singer
Nicole Miglis' breathy incantations, turning the piece into a sort of warped, watery, Hollywood romance theme from an alternate timeline. As on their previous releases, the song structures can change on a dime and, as inviting as their warm timbres are,
Hundred Waters' music is sometimes difficult to follow. The elegant piano ballad "Parade" supplies one of the more straightforward and linear song forms and also one of
Miglis' strongest vocal performances, while the track that follows it, "At Home & In My Head," stretches out in wild, skittering complexity. Taken as a whole,
Communicating presents a multi-layered universe of off-center pop well worth exploring. ~ Timothy Monger