Pallers - The Sea Of Memories

Wie viele Stunden mag wohl der Tag von Johan Angergård haben? Denn neben seiner Arbeit beim Labrador Label betreibt er noch die Bands The Legends, Acid House Kings, Club 8 und seit Kurzem auch noch Pallers.

Gemeinsam mit Henrik Mårtensson, mit dem er in dem den Bandnamen stiftenden Örtchen Pallers aufwuchs, erforscht er Elektro-Pop-Gefilde und durchstreift Ambient- und Dreampop-Landschaften. Das passt einerseits stilistisch bestens zu den zuvor vorgestellten Alben von Korallreven und The Embassy, andererseits erweitert dies zudem Angergårds Aktionsradius und man darf gespannt sein, in welchen musikalischen Gewässern er sich mit dem kommenden Album oder gar der nächsten Band tümmelt.

Hier kann man sich die 10 Songs von "The Sea Of Memories" anhören.

Taking aim at a three-dimensional sound on their debut and nailing it, Pallers have managed to create an ambient dreamscape at once nocturnal yet luminescent and futuristic yet anciently mystical. With serene beats, warm vocals and iridescent synths, the single Come Rain, Come Sunshine foreshadows a debut well worth the wait.

(myoldkentuckyblog.com)

(...) the two make new wave pop that’s similar to other duos, including Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, and The Postal Service. That said, the music found on The Sea of Memories doesn’t sound too terribly different from Angergård’s other current projects. The music is club music, but it’s a rather dour club that would provide their clubbers with the lovely but melancholy “Another Heaven,” “Years Go, Days Pass,” or “Wicked.” Furthermore, “Come Rain, Come Sunshine” is perhaps this year’s most perfectly perfect pop song; beats that enrapture and get your feet moving are enhanced by Angergård’s sad crooning. Still, in spite of the clouds, The Sea of Memories, there’s plenty to enjoy; after all, a cloudy day can still be a beautiful day.

(bigtakeover.com)

The Sea of Memories is largely characterized by bright, subtle synthetics and the duo’s soothing vocals--better fit for soundtracking summer roadtrips than inspiring navel-gazing. It’s easy to see where atmospherics influenced Pallers’ songwriting, but their work--although pleasant--is far from genre-defining.

That’s probably why some of the most successful songs on The Sea of Memories are those that maintain a pop feel. “Come Rain, Come Sunshine” (the album’s first single), “Humdrum” and “The Kiss” are full of buoyant synth leads and dancey beats, the latter featuring some truly catchy oriental chord progressions. Pallers demonstrate equal finesse with their down-tempo tracks. “Wired” flows along serenely, backed by robo-angelic harmonies, while “Nights” closes the album with somber elegance, wistful vocals and dreamy piano keys.

The Sea of Memories is completed by a couple of redundant instrumental tracks (“Tropical Fishbowl”, “Sound of Silence”) and a club-worthy misfire. “Wicked,” the only song on the album to guest-feature female vocals, is a little too house-synthy for its own good. It breaks the spell of an otherwise enjoyable first outing.

Genre-bending isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Pallers could probably benefit from playing extremes. With atmospherics lacking organic undertones and thin, slow electropop lacking real exuberance, it might be helpful for the duo to push their aesthetic limits. The Sea of Memories isn’t without its gems; they just need a little extra polish.

(inyourspeakers.com)