Dot Allison: dark dot

Interview, Dec, 2002 by Rebecca Wallwork

Even though she's released two albums in the past decade--1993's Morning Dove White (with the band One Dove) and 1999's solo debut Afterglow--Dot Allison is still something of a secret treasure in the U.S. We Are Science (Mantra Recordings/Beggars Group), Allison's new solo outing, however, threatens to evict her from that cozy spot underneath the radar, so hypnotic is its electronic beauty. While Afterglow prompted comparisons to Beth Orton, We Are Science reveals Allison's past in the clubs of Glasgow, where the dark and bizarre rhythms of the late-'80s dance scene persuaded her to drop her degree in biochemistry and chase a career in music instead.

Using her voice as an instrument to rival the piano or guitar (she plays both), Allison favors abstract, atmospheric soundscapes over songs that follow linear narratives. On "I Think I Love You," her repetition of that phrase becomes a taunt, soaked in sarcasm. "If you say something once it can come out heavy with meaning," she explains. "But if you say something a hundred times, it can become completely different. That track's a bit claustrophobic. I like the fact that it's a stalker's anthem."