In the ever-expanding universe of sonic experimentation, Vicki Bennett, under her moniker People Like Us, returns with "Copia", a kaleidoscopic journey through the realms of sound collage and cultural pastiche. This album, her first major release since 2018's "The Mirror", is not merely a collection of tracks but a meticulously crafted tapestry that weaves together fragments of our collective auditory memory into something both familiar and profoundly alien.

Bennett's approach to "Copia" is akin to a musical archaeologist excavating the ruins of pop culture, unearthing relics, and reassembling them into new, often surreal configurations. The album's title, meaning "abundance" and "copy", aptly reflects this methodology. It's a celebration of the copy as an art form, where replication becomes a means of innovation.

The album opens with "Glass Onion", a track that sets the tone for the auditory odyssey ahead. It's a sonic mosaic, layering snippets of vintage melodies, spoken word, and electronic textures into a cohesive whole. This technique is reminiscent of the "exquisite corpse" method, where each collaborator adds to the piece without a full view of the entire, resulting in unexpected and often delightful juxtapositions.

Throughout "Copia", Bennett collaborates with a cadre of avant-garde artists, including Ergo Phizmiz, Matmos, and Gwilly Edmondez, among others. These collaborations infuse the album with a rich diversity of sounds and ideas, from the whimsical to the unsettling. Tracks like "You Wish (Dark World Mix)" and "Happy Jam" oscillate between dreamy nostalgia and disorienting abstraction, challenging the listener's perceptions of time and memory.

One of the album's standout pieces, "Hymn to Collage", serves as both a manifesto and a meta-commentary on Bennett's artistic philosophy. It's a self-referential exploration of the collage process, blending instructional narration with a cacophony of samples that exemplify the very techniques being described.

In "Camera Obscura", Bennett delves into themes of perception and reality, using the metaphor of the camera obscura to explore how we process and interpret the world around us. The track's layered composition mirrors the complexity of human consciousness, where memories, sensations, and external stimuli converge in a continuous flux.

"Copia" is not an album that yields its treasures easily. It demands active engagement, inviting listeners to piece together its fragmented narratives and to find meaning in its orchestrated chaos. Yet, for those willing to immerse themselves in its depths, the album offers a rewarding experience - a reflection on the nature of art, memory, and the ceaseless interplay between the past and the present.

In an era where the boundaries between originality and imitation are increasingly blurred, "Copia" stands as a testament to the creative potential of the remix. Bennett doesn't just recycle old sounds; she recontextualizes them, breathing new life into forgotten melodies and reframing them within contemporary discourse. It's a work that challenges our notions of authorship and authenticity, reminding us that in the realm of art, the copy can be as potent as the original.

In conclusion, "Copia" is a masterful exploration of sound and meaning, a sonic collage that is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally resonant. It's a reminder that in the hands of a skilled artist, even the most disparate elements can coalesce into something profoundly beautiful and thought-provoking.