It’s not often that a record comes along that makes you both excited for the future of music and pine for the sounds of the past but this effort from the newly gathered Oliveri and associates does just that, and with some style too.
There is a clear line of influence at work from the days of the C86 indie-pop movement through to the heady times of early 90’s indie and shoegaze and the days of guitar music threatening the charts. But, it is not just one aspect of these influences that the band utilise, and it is not simple homage that they are paying, instead they cast their net wide, gathering up as much indie-history as they can hold before rewriting it in a way they feel works better.
The result is all that shoegaze fuzz tempered by catchy choruses and accessible melodies, spikey guitars meeting sweeping synths all the while being propelled with subtle but driving rhythm work. It is note solely about the musicianship though, the songs are exquisitely written and poetic, Oliveri not compromising any of his lyrical chops with the change in musical gear, fans of his nu-folk past will still find much to love.
A clever blending of the old into something that sounds fresh, new and achingly cool and contemporary, this album is many things; hypnotic, dreamy and elegant yet intense, jagged and awkward. It somehow manages to tread that fine line between commerciality and cool, leaving you wondering why music like this is still underground and not troubling the mainstream.
Album Review written for and first published by Dancing About Architecture on 1st April 2017
The Unwise Monkey 