Berlin's Lillian is not your typical folk singer. For starters, Lillian is a girl's name. Whether the joke's lost on me or he's confused, I don't know. What is for certain is that Lillian has delivered an enjoyable album's worth of obscure and thought provoking alt-folk.
The first thirty seconds of "City Dreams" - a big blank space - will probably irritate the listener, but from there on, Lillian comes to life with his explorative lyrics meeting a wandering guitar and digitally encoded beats. "Mess" is a more straightforward addressing of human emotion, with his harmonica offering a rather haunting sound. Although highlighting a stand out track is no easy task, "Her Remains" is well worthy of that merit. One of the faster-paced tracks on the album, it is nonetheless downbeat. As is the case throughout the album, Lillian tells his story in a concise, yet abstract approach.
The use of a drum machine is the only truly disappointing feature of the album. While on the electronica-based tracks, it seems appropriate, it sounds needless on others. The album does fall away slightly towards the end, with strange sounds becoming more and more frequent. Tracks such as "To Be Explored" use the sounds to better effect, creating a dark atmosphere around the voice. It does have to be said that a great deal of imagination has been put into his album.
"A Pitchfork Nightmare" offers variety and integrity in almost equal measure. For all his absurdity, the album is highly listenable; a rare combination. One to listen out for.