1. Everything is OK
2. Ingenue
3. The Ratio or Freckles to Stars
4. Wholeness
5. Wiser (Different)
6. Firefly

Personnel: Rebecca and Ryan Cosebloom

http://www.halou.com

As much as I like Lamb, another female-led electronic duo, the
clichéd lyrics leave something to be desired. Halou provides lyrical
substance to its abstract electronic torch songs. The
opening "Everything is OK" describes, in perfect detail, the type of
person who over-analyzes situations, creating drama where there is
none. "Disregard your inner monologue," is a wonderful, down-to-
earth sentiment. The hissing, warm "Firefly" is a lovely bit of
remembered childhood wisdom: "With light comes heat/ Into your heart
I creak." The real ace-in-the-hole is the tearjerker "Ingenue,"
which is one of best unrequited love songs ever. "What can I do/ To
be Ingenue?/ To stand in the blue and the warmth of spotlight."
Rebecca Cosebloom's mannered vocals are dramatic and quite
beautiful. There's a bit of the actress in her delivery, but it
doesn't go over the top. Ryan Cosebloom's architectural soundscapes
mixes everything from strings, to glitch and blip electronica to
(most intriguingly) the lo-fi grunginess of the title track, which
wouldn't sound out of place on a Low album. I can't wait for the
full-length.

--Craig L. Gidney