Pale Blue Eyes - Souvenirs

Wenn man ganz genau hinschaut, so deutet der Wegweiser in Richtung Retro-Elektropop, Krautrock und New Wave. Verdeckt ist der mit Dreampop beschriftete vierte Richtungsanzeiger. Und so verwundert es nicht, dass bei Besprechungen von „Souvenirs“ Namen wie New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen, Metronomy, O.M.D. oder The Cure  fallen. Ich möchte gern noch Teleman und The Radio Dept. ergänzen. 

Die Pale Blue Eyes sind ein Trio aus Totnes in Devon, das aus dem Ehepaar Lucy (Schlagzeug) und Matt Board (Gesang, Gitarre) sowie Aubrey Simpson (Bass) besteht. Für ihr Debütalbum haben sie sich ein kleines Homestudio namens Penquit Mill eingerichtet und die 10 Songs nahezu im Alleingang eingespielt. Das Mixen und Mastern übernahm letztendlich Dean Honer  (Róisín Murphy, Add N To (X), Jane Weaver). 

„Souvenirs“ ist als CD (spined gatefold softpack) und LP (eco-mix vinyl) erschienen. 

It’s a 45 minute trip that passes at high speed, along the way the lean and mean streamlined rush of “TV Flicker” sounds like an established ‘greatest hit’ as does earlier single the motorik steamroller “Dr. Pong”.

By the time Souvenirs reaches its denouement with the heart-swelling heat haze shimmer of “Chelsea” we’ve heard ample evidence to suggest Pale Blue Eyes are in it for the long haul. These aren’t people making music to pass the time on a wet Sunday afternoon, Souvenirs is the creation of a band who have to make music and like all great debuts it’s both a culmination of their beginnings as well as a pointer to the wide open road ahead.

(The Line Of Best Fit)

 

Each composition is a dreamscape, with the layers of synths seemingly sugarcoating the memories that summoned the songs. There is a place for fantasy. Pulsey ‘TV Flicker’ conjures up a transition between earthly reality and extraterrestrial worlds. The ethereal pads and undulating arpeggios on ‘Dr Pong’ create a whirlpool of sound akin to the fast-forwarded swirling ocean in Tarkovsky’s Solaris. The phantasmagorical effervescence on ‘Champagne’ is balanced with the steady bass and drum pattern. This combination of sparkling lightness and the tangible resonance of the drums is one of the album's highlights.

Although Souvenirs is a daring record, there is a feeling that the Pale Blue Eyes’ fantastic spacecraft is suspended in the air before the real take-off. Perhaps, they are about to define the direction for the creative journey. Would be great to see them reaching for upper regions of space.

(The Quietus)

 

This heartwarming optimism is what characterises their debut from the get-go. Souvenir begins with frenetic electropop opener ‘Globe’, its underpinning rich vocal and twinkly synth doubling calling to mind OMD and New Order, and the chanted “you got this” call and response oozing hope and self belief. A determined energy follows suit with subsequent tracks; the expansive, gothic urgency in ‘TV Flicker’, heartfelt, humane pop in ‘Little Gem’, and anthemic, voyaging psych/Kraut of ‘Dr. Pong’ all maintaining a directed, mesmerising focus.

The extended jam at the end of the latter is a regular device on the album, and while its production value carries a real depth of character, it’s these instrumental sections that add authenticity, giving the listener a taste of the band’s prowess in a live setting. This is certainly true of songs like the driven, Cure-esque ‘Star Vehicle’, and the harmonically masterful ‘Sing It Like We Used To’, which employs 80s gated reverb effects without sounding archaic or cheapening the drums.

(Clash Music)