Gardens and Villa’s new release, their second, DUNES occupies the same space sonically as Bear in Heaven’s excellent I LOVE YOU IT’S COOL my favorite record of 2012.
The vocals are a bit more faceless
than Bear’s which is the only bad thing I can say about this record as it is
deeply hooky and crisply produced evenly divided between slow steady rhythmic burners
such as Domino and Chrysanthemums and 80’s sturm and drang nostalgia fare sashaying
along on mechanical drums such as Colony Glen and Echosassy.
Bullet Train is an example of
the Gardens and Villa template at work.
A steady chorus gives way to a slight raise of temperature in the vocals
and arrangements on the chorus. The
addition of a guitar on this song helps as well. A piano and a flute are also featured on other
tracks. The bass on Echosassy mimics New
Order.
The Bear in Heaven comparison
stops at the amount of edginess in I LOVE YOU IT’S COOL that is missing in this
record’s pleasant synth-pop retro updates.
Still, it flows seamlessly, no bumpy spots, a satisfying listen. Has 2014’s best record come out so early?
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