I’m not sure if it was something about March, or the bands, or my own head place, but I’m fairly sure this is the nicest collection of music I’ve reviewed since I’ve started this blog. There were a few harsher albums in the short list to be reviewed but they dropped away as I started writing.
So please join me as I try not to overuse the word pretty.
One more thing. When I was doing my three year anniversary thank you speech, I forgot two very important people. First is my mate Ian, who gave me some very lovely feedback in the first year, when it felt that I was just posting this into the void. His kind works kept me going.
Most importantly though, is my wife Sarah, who without her encouragement, I would have quit this blog several times over. Thanks to both of you.
Now, the music. Let’s start with my album of the month.
Not Me But Us
Two
Two is without a doubt one of the prettiest albums I’ve heard in a very long time. Its chilled, blissed out vibe seem to be exactly what I needed as we slowly creep out of winter into these longer days.
The album starts slowly, No Words, the opener, is a slow drone that adds twinkling synths as the track builds but it’s not till the second track, Inner Space, that the album takes flight.
Inner Space is perfect clockwork song writing. All the component parts move clearly and precisely. The synth melody interlocks perfectly with the gentle percussion and it makes the song flow like a river that’s just sweeping you blissfully along. The violin (Or harmonium or synth, I can’t tell) that carries the main melody is just the icing on the cake.
Track three, Interlocking Mechanics, takes the same song construction and builds on it, still filled with twinkling synths but with louder percussion. It’s almost breathlessly pretty. Where as Buildings’ reminds me of The American Dollar with its chilled electronica meets post rock feel.
This album came out of nowhere. I know nothing about the artists but Two proves yet again what I love about writing this blog. There’s always someone waiting to surprise you, to completely knock your socks off. Not Me But Us have done just that and I am honestly amazed at how much this album has affected me.
https://songwhip.com/notmebutus/interlocking-mechanics
Renewer
Sunne
I’ve noticed a few acts have started to post a statement of intent / vibe summation on their Bandcamp. Renewer have gone with “Spellbound lushness and beautiful heaviness”. Which may be a smidge pretentious, but it also pretty much nails their sound.
Mixing alt rock, with a dash of Slowcore and Shoegaze, Sunne really pushes a lot of my buttons. This music is like catnip to me.
The opener, July feels like a slowed down version of My Own Summer by Deftones, until the far more delicate verse starts, feeling more like a 90’s slowcore band than the opening sludge would have you expect. The falsetto harmonies were definitely a welcome surprise. When the heavy returns the song keeps its prettiness and that’s a line the band carefully walks across the entire album.
It feels like there’s a little Holy Fawn influence going on here, although Renewer are far more alt rock than post rock. Track two, Going Gone is a gentle indie song with some louder flourishes but it’s the keyboards and strings that come in at the songs end section that really make it shine.
Even with its louder sections the album can feel very restrained, so I absolutely love that Crossing the Void switches to bellowed vocals for its last few seconds, instantly switching the song to metal and really gives a real jolt to proceedings before the album winds down to a close.
If you are a fan of 90’s alt rock this is really an album that you will find yourself spending a lot of time with, just remember to play it loudly, cause that’s when it shines.
https://songwhip.com/renewer/sunne
Pink Milk
Night on Earth
There should be a genre created called Lynchcore, maybe Colegaze? I don’t know, but it’s music created to soundtrack Twin Peaks. There’s a lot of people out there making music that sounds like it should be performed on stage at the Roadhouse, and it would be a handy shortcut.
As you might guess from that preamble, Pink Milk are one of these Peaks loving bands and Night on Earth makes its intentions very clear from the start. The album opens with bone dry drum machines, cavernous reverb and breathy female vocals, instantly setting the mood for the album. This is music to listen to in a room full of dry ice and slow strobe lights.
Sitting somewhere musically between Chromatics and Goth tinged shoegaze, Pink Milk are every bit as dramatic as that description sounds. Their cover of The End of the World is somehow even more fragile than the original, while Everything Reminds Me of You feels like being slowly pulled down in a whirlpool of 80’s guitar. Luckily, it’s not all ethereal songs though, the enveloping shoegaze of Andromeda and its insistent drum machine picks up the pace, saving the album from drifting away under its own weightlessness.
Night on Earth is a fragile collection of heartbreak that sometimes feels like its own ennui may overpower it, but snuggle into the empty space and the darkness and you’ll find a lot to love in here.
https://songwhip.com/pinkmilk2/night-on-earth
Goodbye Meteor
We Could Have Been Radiant
I’ve been in denial about post rock for a few years now. It felt that it all sounded the same so I tried to put some distance between me and the genre. Well, thanks to Goodbye Meteor, I’ve given up and will just be embracing post rock again.
We Could Have Been Radiant is very pretty post rock. The opening track, This is Not Here, practically glitters, with its slow build perfectly introducing what the band are setting up for the rest of the album.
I wasn’t expecting the vocals on No Signal, but they help add an extra dimension to the song as it slowly unfurls into something that can easily stand up against the best acts that post rock has to offer. But it’s not all about the pretty, the surprise lurch from pretty to heavy in Destructuration is world class and I’m always delighted to hear a song that is bass led.
This is one of the best traditional post rock albums that I’ve heard in a very long time and a perfect example that there’s a lot of life left in the genre. Thanks, GM, this is a welcome reminder that I still have a lot of love for this music.
https://songwhip.com/goodbyemeteor/destructuration
To finish up the month, we may as well call this the Petite Victory Collective corner, as we have 3 releases from the label this month. Let’s start off with an old favourite.
Rupture//Rapture
Realms
Another R//R ep and yet another glowing review from me. Please save your shocked faces, this just seems to be something that just happens at this point.
Saying that, R//R has changed up his signature melodic techno style and pivoted to a slow, much more chilled out mood. However, even though the bpm has dropped but the production standard hasn’t, the bass is still as warm as ever, with the percussion remains clear and crisp.
We do seem to have gone back in time a bit though, as this ep reminds me of the post dubstep era. Burial style, cut up, pitched up vocal flourishes abound, which add a lovely extra layer that helps this ep avoid the one dimensionality that can plague some chill out music.
The direction of this ep may be a bit of a surprise, but it’s a welcome one. It’s always good to see a producer stretch their wings and get out of their comfort zone a bit.
https://songwhip.com/rupturerapture/nightfall
Teder & TimMey
Rebound ep
Rebound is the kind of scuzzy dance music I love, with slightly claustrophobic synths and great fuzzy filter work. The title track is the best dance banger I’ve heard this year and I would absolutely lose it on the dancefloor if it was played anywhere near me. I know that’s big talk but there is just something about it that just hits the spot for me.
https://songwhip.com/timmey/rebound2024
Wall Brown
Soul Mirror
Soul Mirror is slower paced. Power of the Mind is a warm headnodder of a song, while the title track has a great slow breakdown and deep bass synths.
The closer, Darkball has a great bass heavy swagger to it, although I advise caution when listening to it while walking around town, it’s very easy to start to strut while it’s playing.
The ways of exile 