Reviewing this album has been one of the more frustrating recent listening / writing experiences. Each time I have listened to it (and, having had it for review purposes since last year, that adds up to a lot of listens), I was left with a strange feeling that it wasn’t actually the album I was hoping and expecting it to be.
In my mind, as I approach this, the band’s third album (after 2004′s self-titled debut and 2006′s Crush), I hear a glorious mash-up where The Cocteau Twins meet Sonic Youth. And whilst it would be rather unfair to hold them to account for not living up to my own imaginings, there are elements of both bands that teasingly, fleetingly suggest themselves here.
My problem with the reality of the music found here is twofold. Firstly, any agreeably mysterious and shoegazey floatiness is marred by the lack of anything approaching grit, or dark edge. It is all just so damned sugary that you begin to suffer overload by about three tracks in. So, opener ‘Layers’ starts off, with its yearny-sweet vocal and chiming backing and you find yourself strangely unengaged. ‘Familiar Light’ further piles on the sweet wispiness (although the nice percussive rolls give it slightly more bite), but by the time you reach ‘Sing Tomorrow’s Praise’, even the minor key and slightly colder sound to the vocal can’t really encourage you to keep caring.
Bringing me, neatly, to second problem that I found, namely the weird fact that (for me, at least) nothing much on this album really seemed to stick, or resonate. There are pretty-enough melodies in abundance (‘Layers’, ‘Sunshower’, single ‘Me and Mary’), pleasing, tuneful singing and nice sounds made by means electronic and non-electronic; but it all just seemed to willfully refuse to lodge in my mind for a second longer than necessary, by which I mean for any longer than it took to listen to. It is probably quite telling that even now, having lived with these songs for at least two months now, I could not tell you what one of them is actually about, nor quote any lyrics, nor, in all probability, hum any snippets of tune. This has to be a failing not just on my part, surely?
And yet, as I said at the top of the page, I am left with more of a feeling of frustration than indifference. The good things here include a lovely melodious female vocal, some great guitary, occasionally sub-MBV bits (see ‘Glacially’), an ethereal and quite distinct atmosphere. Is the problem perhaps in the glossy over-homogenised production? Is it in the lack of light and shade, or any whiff of danger / darkness? Or is it simply, as can sometimes happen, that the “chemistry” between this reviewer and this band just isn’t there. I still, after all this time, genuinely don’t know.
60%
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I was sitting at the computer, working on something, when I played it. The whole record went by without my noticing. I don’t know if that’s fair criteria, but it certainly echoes your sentiments here, Jude.
Jude, I think you’re right, I’m deeply suspicious of some of these bands mimicking some of the aesthetics of shoe-gaze (i’ve heard them derisively described as Nu-gaze) but none of the sonic adventure. My Bloody Valentine are often liberally cited as an inspiration for contemporary bands using a lot of reverb, but few of those bands genuinely share Kevin Shields obsession with pure noise, whether beautiful or ugly.
My pick of the recent acts is Blonde Redhead, whose album ’21′ shares some of the aesthetics of Asobi Seksu but with that darker edge you mention in your review.
they were supporting Howling Bells last week.
Literally you can’t do shoegaze if a keyboard is blocking you from seeing your shoes, can you?
I wasn’t impressed at all.