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)

Album opener and previous single “You Tend to Forget” shares a consistency seen throughout much of The Embassy’s small discography. Breathy female moans and a favoritism of African sounds are unlikely elements of a catchy pop song, but complement each other graciously, setting a unique tone to the album.

Following tracks key in on sensibilities that most fans of Jens Lekman or Studio will find familiar. Bouncy bass lines and crystalline synths are mixed with a lo-fi production that adds character rather than acting as a cliché.

Life in the Trenches achieves what other compilations can only attempt to do. It’s cohesive enough to stand alone, while simultaneously fitting in with The Embassy’s previous work like a piece to a pop-puzzle. By providing outstanding gems of overlooked tracks, Life in the Trenches serves as a solid connection point between full-lengths albums and the Swedish pop scene.

(thespartanchronicle.com)

'As Young As Yesterday' begins the proceedings with the bubbling sounds of water, flute, and synths entering before those distinctive vocals, gauzy and dreamlike set the tone for the following hour or so. The layerings of arrangements from the outset are complex and well constructed, not an easy thing to pull off despite the ease of which it comes across. The Balearic sounds continue into 'Sa Sa Samoa', its soft beats, layering of synths and choir-like backing gorgeous, with Julianna Barwick on vocals makeing this track a standout on the album.

'The Truest Faith' another highlight, is a track fans of the band and this website will know well, a fresh listen and in context of the LP giving it new legs. The in-and-out-of-focus vocals at their best here. 'Keep Your Eyes Shut' is sweet and affecting, beginning with a spoken overdub and lyrics repeating mantra-like, 'a dream within a dream'. The track builds up nicely and is another example of the way Korallreven create deceptively simple soundscapes out of careful craftsmanship. 'Loved Up' drives forward, devoid of vocals up front, leaving them be, washed away back in the mix, out to sea, in that way the Swedish do so well. 'Comin' Closer' has a twinge of 80s electro to it, stabbing synths hitting the mark every time.

'Honey Mine' introduces the beautiful vocals of Victoria Bergsman in a track that stands out as more energetic and upbeat than others on offer here. 'A Surf On Endorphins' is the shortest cut on the album, complete with howling wolves and chock full of atmospherics. 'Comin' Down' completes the trip in style, nine minutes long and a beautiful way to finish and return to reality. It makes sense that Korallreven is both Swedish for 'coral reef' and similar sounding to the Samoan word for spirituality. The care and love put into the production of this LP is clear to see, and will no doubt be the soundtrack to many dream holidays, taken in reality, or out of it. Where's my mojito?

(indie30.com)

Murray haucht mehr, als dass sie singt – mit hoher, erotischer Stimme. Die Musik darunter oszilliert zwischen psychedelischem Georgel und tranciger Electronica sowie Doors-Gitarren und Folk-Gezupfe. Dazu kann man sich wunderschön wegträumen, ohne sich gleich einer Weltflucht schämen zu müssen.

(intro.de)

Und somit ist ‘Creatures of an Hour’ vor allem eins: düster bzw. atmosphärisch, jedoch nicht erdrückend oder schwer, sondern vielmehr auf seine Art leichtfüßig…oder um es mit dem Begriff auszudrücken, den die Band selbst geprägt hat: Pop Noir. Dieser funktioniert dann auch am besten direkt im Opener ‘Cuckoo‘, einem schleichendem Ohrwurm, mit hallender Orgel, einem einfachen Drum-Beat und dem wundervoll schwebendem und dahin gehauchten Gesang von Tessa Murray. ‘Circulus‘ funktioniert dann mit ähnlichen Zutaten, nur etwas treibender. Dabei sorgt das Orgel-Gedudel für den richtigen Tick ‘Scary Movie’, hat es doch diese unheilstiftende Schiefe, die einen sonst häufiger im Kinosessel unruhig umher rutschen lässt. ‘I Wrote in Blood‘ lässt dann die Western-Einflüsse Revue passieren – eine einfache Gitarren-Grundmelodie, darüber ein paar wabernde Akkorde. Erst mit dem Einsatz der Orgel, verschwindet der Wüstensand und man ist wieder zurück im Still Corners-Universum.

(bedroomdisco.de)

If 'Waiting There' and 'When You Come' set out Northern Sky's stall - slow carefully orchestrated build ups erupting into crushing maelstroms of white noise - then 'As Bright As The Sky' reveals a more subtle side to 93MillionMilesFromTheSun's make-up. Noble and Hogg's deft harmonies hark back to the days of Andy Bell and Mark Gardener, adding an ethereal touch to the drone-laden crescendo which guides them. Similarly, the pulsating loops that echo throughout 'Before You Leave' offer an insight into what Can and their ilk may have sounded like if conceived 40 years on.

Although comparisons to the likes of Spacemen 3 (circa Sound Of Confusion) or the Bravery, Repetition & Noise-era Brian Jonestown Massacre are inevitable, 93MillionMilesFromTheSun aren't averse to bending the rules slightly. Take the instrumental mid-point 'Tall Buildings In Large Cities'. Here Noble and Hogg employ a simple chord progression that builds then peaks into a kaleidoscopic wall of noise like Explosions In The Sky's 'Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean'. It's a brief diversion but one that settles the nerves for the heavily distorted couplet of 'All You've Found You've Left Behind' and 'Time Lasts Forever'. Both rise, soar and explode in equal measures, the latter erupting furiously before the soothing 'Echoes' offers another brief respite.

By the time 'Sonic Assault' brings Northern Sky to a close, its title self-explanatory as surging guitars collide with watery synths, 93MillionMilesFromTheSun's mission is accomplished in devastating fashion. Inspired by such nondescript surroundings, Northern Sky is a colossal statement that might not make Doncaster the epicentre of fashion just yet, but is certain to open a few eyes and ears to a part of the world generally dismissed by all but its inhabitants.

(drownedinsound.com)

Opener “We Don’t Belong” sounds like a crushing break-up song, given its moody lyrics (“You’re pulling me close to you every time I turn to go”), but it’s about the alienation wrought by technological advancement. After a few minutes of drum-machine battery, it careens toward a red alert: That siren wail—the song’s devastating pinnacle—could be a rallying call for computer slaves to unshackle themselves and, I don’t know, break shit.

What I mean is: This is probably one to see live.

Track No. 2, “Revival,” is far from a comedown. Industrial-tinged and doused in distortion, it roars without baring its claws, reminding me of why I once daydreamed about shows in Fredericksburg, Va.: Skywave (whose members have formed Ceremony and A Place to Bury Strangers) made it seem like the coolest, loudest place on Earth. Screen Vinyl Image channels that here.

What follows is not always as powerful. There are flirtations with darkwave, a foray into dark folk, and of course, an overwhelming indebtedness to My Bloody Valentine, JaMC, Boo Radleys, Lush, et al. But some songs sound incomplete. “Stay Asleep” is Cure-gloomy, but hampered by Jake Reid’s undeveloped vocals; “My Confession” is haunting but plodding. Both could use a few more minutes in the oven.

When Screen Vinyl Image goes all in, though, it’s abundantly clear. “New Visions,” previously released on 2010’s Ice Station cassette EP and this year’s Siberian Eclipse 7-inch, reappears on this album in updated form. It remains one of the band’s best: swirlingly ambient with a pleasing melodic undercurrent, like a noisy rework of New Order’s “Your Silent Face.” The record closes with, believe it or not, a nod to early ’90s techno: “Night Trip” opens with a squelching acid gurgle and transforms into a goth-night sleeper hit. To Baltimore we go!

Strange Behavior is not a change of course for the band—or its favorite rock subgenre—but it’s running on some seriously potent fumes.

(washingtoncitypaper.com)