The sun goes down. The moon comes up. Eleonora Claps flicks the lid off a ballpoint pen. The Milan-born drummer and singer wrote these 10 songs after 10 o’clock, when her two daughters were tucked up in bed. The results are often nostalgic and (almost) always upbeat. There’s striking variety in the compositions. And when they’re good, they’re great.
Claps has crouched behind the drumkit for pop, rock and electro bands. Her first release as a leader, Stars, came out in 2015. It mainly includes covers but this time she’s ready to share more of her own work – supported by Andy Hamill on bass with John Crawford on piano and Wurlitzer.
A bold mix of ideas keeps the album fresh, but the main strength of 10PM is its pop-inflected tunes that feed off Claps’ percussive cleverness. The first two tracks, for example, are built on basic but compelling piano shapes. Both are effortlessly catchy, exploring everyday themes with some deft rhythmic shenanigans.
There’s a pair of songs with Italian lyrics. E’ Sera is a three-minute lullaby written for Claps’ kids. It’s a tender piece that rises and falls like little tummies beneath cereal-spattered pyjamas. The vocals are breathier, hovering above Crawford’s patient keywork.
The stripped-down approach to Renegades puts the bass in the spotlight, but never quite grabs the listener like the album’s best moments. The final track, Scene, features ticking cymbals that threaten a stormy dancefloor-filler – but those disco lightning bolts never pierce the sky.
10PM is an inventive, positive-spirited album packed with beats and choruses that stick in the brain. Eleonora Claps is a songwriter with a sharp sense of rhythm and groove. When her compositions are good, they’re really great.
Discography
At 15; Contemplate; I Got Dreams; Il Tempo Che Passa; Live Again; Working; Renegades; Matter; E’ Sera; Scene (44.24)
John Crawford (p, Wurlitzer); Andy Hamill (b); Claps (v, d, pc). London, 2024.
Red Desert EC10PM
