Patience - Dizzy Spells

Mit The Proper Ornaments („Six Lenins“, 2019, „Foxhole“, 2017) und Ultimate Painting („Up“, 2018) gab es in den letzten Jahren bereits zwei Bands, die aus der 2014 aufgelösten Band Veronica Falls hervorgegangen sind. Beide wurden von deren ehemaligem Gitarristen James Hoare gegründet.

Mittlerweile ist auch Roxanne Clifford, die frühere Sängerin der Veronica Falls, bei ihrem ersten Soloalbum angelangt, das sie unter dem Pseudonym Patience veröffentlicht hat. 

Bereits seit 2016 veröffentlichte sie mit „The Pressure“, „The Church / My Own Invention“ und „White Of An Eye“ erste Singles unter ihrem neuen Namen. Dabei schwor sie dem Jangle-Pop/Indierock von Veronica Falls gänzlich ab und orientierte sich an Retro-80s-Pop, so dass einem beim Hören von „Dizzy Spells“ Pet Shop Boys, O.M.D., The Human League und Eurythmics in den Sinn kommen. „White Of An Eye“ sorgt dafür, dass man New Oder unbedingt dieser Aufzählung hinzu fügen muss.

Wer dieses Jahr „Ladytron“ wiederholt auf seinem Plattenteller laufen ließ, sollte auf jeden Fall auch zu „Dizzy Spells“ greifen, das in der limitierten Auflage auf clear Vinyl erhältlich ist.

Tracks like ‘Living Things Don’t Last’ find twinkly synths clashing with forlorn lyrics sung in wistful reminiscence, and it is a measure of the strength of her writing that her full-bodied leap into the analogue synth world has seen her sacrifice none of that melancholic ecstasy.
There is nothing revolutionary about Dizzy Spells, but it would take effort to resist its charms. ‘The Girls are Chewing Gum’, produced by UK garage lynchpin Todd Edwards, is a stomping Chicago house-inspired indie disco throwdown, equipped to rub shoulders with the best of DFA or Creation. The pristine ‘Moral Damage’ sees Clifford in a bilingual duet with former Veronica Falls bandmate Marion Herbain, while Clifford’s wit shines through on album highlight ‘The Pressure’: “My friends tell me you asked for me/ The world could end before we agree”.
(Loud and Quiet)

Those singles are all present on the first Patience record, Dizzy Spells, and it says a lot about the record that they aren't necessarily the best songs there. Sessions done at home in L.A. resulted in some wonderful songs, too. The Todd Edwards collaboration "The Girls Are Chewing Gum" is an infectious slice of lo-fi house, "No Roses" is a yearning ballad that sounds like baby Yaz, "Aerosol" is wonderfully melancholy '80s pop, and "Moral Damage" is a stately Europop tune that features a vocal turn by Clifford's Veronica Falls bandmate Marion Herbain. She does bring in guitars once or twice, most notably on the New Order-esque "Living Things Don’t Last." Throughout, Clifford proves as adept at pressing keys and programming synths as she was at strumming a guitar, and the different setting gives her a chance to stretch vocally in ways she might not have been able to if buried in reverb and live drums. (…)
Fans of Veronica Falls can still lament that the band is gone for good, but Patience is a fine substitute that delivers the same great songs and deep feelings only in a different package.
(All Music)

White of An Eye is propelled by a bouncy undercurrent and a jangly guitar refrain, but Clifford intones: 'I haven’t seen it in a while / The light that comes from a smile'.
Much of the album follows suit, but the likes of dextrous bilingual powerhouse Moral Damage, where Clifford is joined by fellow former Veronica Falls member Marion Herbain, and closer Silent House, with its warped choral opening and almost baroque keys, break the mould. Such moments help prevent Dizzy Spells from becoming one-note by putting a different spin on the happy-sad formula, keeping it a bright yet bittersweet full-length exploration of Clifford’s new sonic world.
(The Skinny)