I don't know why, but I just gravitate towards English musicians. Maybe it's the constant rain or something in the water, but a lot of my favorite bands are English and a lot of the best new music I've been discovering in the past couple years has tended to be English. Case in point: the poorly named Younghusband. If you can get past the name, the music really is quite good.
A four piece from London, YH have released two full lengths - first, 2013's Dromes. Dromes is a spacey, shoegaze-laden affair, whereas 2015's (and the subject of this post) Dissolver sees the band take a more straightforward approach. At first, I can't say I really liked it as much as Dromes, which has all the sonic qualities in music I tend to like on the surface. But it is only when you break through the surface of Dissolver that you are rewarded. Give it a few listens and see what you think.
This is definitely a very listenable album. There's nothing too bizarre or agitating on here that could make me outright dislike the album. However, there's also not much here to get me hooked. It's a hazy album that I can see myself putting on while doing anything.
ReplyDeleteThere's not a whole lot I really have to say about this album. It's very well put together and I actually quite like the singer's voice. Ultimately, it's kind of forgettable for me. Judging by your description of Dromes however, I might like that better because of the shoegaze elements. I'll have to come back to that one at some point.
Gonna echo Erik's comment, the instrumentation and vocals were nice to listen but nothing really blew me away or anything. I really enjoyed the guitar on Better Times, it added a nice dimension to the sound for me. Orange Flare is a really pretty song. I think this album as a whole reminded me of Real Estate - beach-y summer-y sounding melodies and guitar riffs (which I love). But this album just seemed one dimensional to me.
ReplyDeleteI am gonna check out Dromes though to see how their shoegaze sound is like.
Gonna echo Erik's comment, the instrumentation and vocals were nice to listen but nothing really blew me away or anything. I really enjoyed the guitar on Better Times, it added a nice dimension to the sound for me. Orange Flare is a really pretty song. I think this album as a whole reminded me of Real Estate - beach-y summer-y sounding melodies and guitar riffs (which I love). But this album just seemed one dimensional to me.
ReplyDeleteI am gonna check out Dromes though to see how their shoegaze sound is like.
Totally had a draft of my post in mind, and it turns out to be more or less what Erik said. So, I'm going to echo Maz in echoing Erik: This album was enjoyable, and I would say I liked it. However, I can't say it made me feel much of anything. I may have had too high expectations, since your past recommendations have typically been things that I really found myself getting into. I would say this time, my expectations were met, but there was just one last thing I needed from this album, which I can't quite put my finger on.
ReplyDeleteI'll give the band this: they seem to keep me interested throughout the album with unique guitar licks and chord progressions. I think a lot of similar bands could take a note from these guys. This album reminded me a bit of various songs from Teenage Fanclub's 21's century discography, which I have similar opinions on as I did this album. I associate this type of music with fall, so in a way it helped me get excited for all the good things that come with that season.
I'm gonna echo parker, echoing maz, echoing erik. The album was overall solid. Nothing really made me stop and say wow, but there was also nothing about the album i disliked. Reminded me of Beach Fossils or Real Estate, neither of which are bands I really enjoy. It sort of reminded me of Tigerwaves but without the some of the weird sounds. I did enjoy a lot of the musical ideas. The chord progressions and melodies reminded me a lot of 60s pysch pop and modern day psych pop revival bands like of Montreal, but without any of the interesting textures or timbres.
ReplyDeleteI can see myself putting this album on when some friends are over and we want something chill that isn't distracting, but to be fair, there are a hell of a lot of albums that we could serve that purpose. Like Maz though, I'm definitely gonna be checking out Dromes. Shoegaze is my jam.
What can I say, this is a Sam album through and through. At first you think wow this is really boring but then you listen a few more times and you think wow this is somehow just the perfect amount of groovy and catchy that it's really really pleasant and relaxing to listen to. It really makes me wish I was on a break and cruising around in my car with nowhere to be and nothing to do. I can't say there was much about it that is distinctive but it's just nice.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else said it's kinda like Real Estate but I think it's like Real Estate for a drizzly day and drizzly days are always better than sunny ones.