A transient musician originally from Phoenix who started writing songs in her late teens, Kristina Moore made her way to New York for work in bands before launching her solo project,
koleżanka. Roughly "colleague" in Polish, the alias was a nod to the bond often felt between women in the male-dominated music industry. Her varied musical background, which has included church choir, her grandfather's polka club, and experimental indie bands, informs an often knotty, kaleidoscopic solo debut whose opening seconds consist of noodling on instruments. Opener "A Mouthful" does soon lock into a standard time signature and one of the album's many slinky grooves, though an improvisational undercurrent remains throughout much of
Place Is. The impulsive-feeling set is guided by Moore's smooth, jazzy vocal delivery and observant lyrics, which note things like "Better to lie than to lie down" and "How can I tell the difference between quiet and a mind at peace?" within the opening track. The song's dense impression is formed by sustained organ and guitars layered over an active bassline and sturdy drums. A more tumultuous track, "Vegan Sushi," later pushes the tempo as similar components lay the groundwork for a more complex design that adds shadowy backing vocals, bell-like tones, and a rock lead guitar line alongside its stylishly syncopated vocal melody. Elsewhere, "B2YP" opts for a relatively sparser vibraphone-and-keys core, and the soul-tinged "In a Meeting" rotates instruments before piling them up together. The overall effect is cool but not calm as
koleżanka ends
Place Is with the musical equivalent of an ellipsis. ~ Marcy Donelson