American Alexia Avina already has four albums to her credit, her diaphanous vocals (think Elizabeth Fraser) and mellow synth-soaked folk songs slowly gaining followers. For his part, Montrealer Nick Schofield composes halfway between ambient and sound landscape. Best Fern is the splendid meeting of their respective practices, but the sum of their parts gives a meatier result than expected: Earth Then Air is, in essence, an album of pop songs, the staccatos of guitar and bass giving the melody ofOn and On in opening, fragile Jindaleethe vocals accompanied by furtive synths (and Pietro Amato’s horn) on Way Inside. The minimalist form of the piano pattern on Before I Go serves as a reference point for Avina’s voice, which threatens to fly away—beautiful, that one. Occasionally, it is Schofield’s experimental nature that prevails, over the long Moon on Your Back And Do You Want Methe singer’s words barely perceptible under the sensitive and soothing orchestrations.
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