Although better known as the vocalist and keytarist in LA glam-inspired band Hello Stranger, Juliette Commagere is certainly not unfamiliar with the process of manipulating her vocal chords. In fact it is Commagere’s voice that is the one element that binds her material together on her second album The Procession, the follow-up to her debut solo effort Queens Die Proudly in 2008.

With the extravagant headdresses displayed within her album artwork and the tribal drumming that pierces the otherwise delicate folky sound that she creates, Commagere will inevitably draw comparisons to Natasha Khan and her Bat For Lashes pseudonym and the multi-instrumental likes of Imogen Heap. Luckily for Commagere, she has the vocal range and clarity of tone to match the aforementioned chanteuses, and her crisp, precise diction is an integral vehicle for her twisted, otherworldly lyrics, which when paired with her own certain sense of individuality are enough to make her stand out in her own right.

Lead single ‘Impact’ is one of The Procession’s more upbeat moments, and begins with the prolonged notes of Commagere’s keytar, while her arpeggio vocal leaps take the song to new heights. On ‘How I Look For You’ Commagere similarly contrasts breathy verses with a pop-laden chorus, which rather than lifting the song as on ‘Impact’, instead creates a jarring effect and seems slightly out of place alongside the album’s otherwise folky and experimental offerings.

‘Hovering In The Wings’ is another album highlight with its dramatic, lingering piano-laden introduction that wouldn’t sound out of place in the echoing beginnings of a dramatic opera. It is a darker song certainly, but whereas the verse’s lyrics hint at the menace implied by its orchestration – with lines such as “I let it hunt for me harvesting my dreams/ Tangled in a jumble of my needs” – the chorus is an uptempo affair, with cheery vocals making the more sinister lyrics of “From the corner of the bedroom I can hear it breathe/ Hovering in the wings” seem incongruous and all the more eerie.

A few tracks rest around the drawn-out seven-minute mark with closing number ‘Animal’ being unusual in both its formation and style. At eight minutes long, the first two minutes are almost a song within itself, before a prolonged pause makes way for the remaining time that is dedicated to various swings in styles and ghostly percussion, before a refrain of the original chorus completes the album. Yet for all the experimental subtleties that Commagere presents on The Procession, some of the most notable moments are those such as on ‘You’ and ‘Glass’ where the experimentation is reigned in and there is a focus on Commagere’s vocals rather than instruments. On ‘You’ beautiful harmonies radiate and ripple through the song, whereas ‘Glass’ engineers a hum of reverberation that remains constant and unchanging as Commagere’s vocals are layered over the top. It is Commagere’s song writing at its most basic and simplified, yet these stripped down songs are when she’s at her best as her vocals are displayed most prominently.

As the album begins to draw to a close so does the momentum and pace of Commagere’s material diminish. Despite deploying a multitude of styles on The Procession it is to its detriment that The Procession‘s finest moment is the very first track – a great introduction for those unfamiliar with Commagere’s music, but a placement choice that sets a high benchmark and ultimately results in the rest of the record being a bit of a letdown in comparison. Without Commagere’s ever-changing vocal that weaves its way through the entire album, there’s the underlying risk that some of the songs could merge into one another and sound a little too similar. The colour and texture of Commagere’s vocal range and dynamics are as much an instrument on this album as the plethora of tribal drumming and keytar-laden melodies, and her voice alone is enough to command her audience to listen and be compelled by her compositions and in turn hint that her own musical impact will be one of promise and longevity.