It's been a couple decades since the ground breaking "Loveless" album. Kevin Sheilds and company have returned and they were far from forgotten as shoe gaze has seen new life in the past five years... if it ever faded. It was one of those things where I had forgotten there was even talk of this coming out so it is a pleasent surprise rather than insurmountable walls of expectations. From the very first song " She Found Now " we get the dense drone and dreamlike murkiness you would want. they have returned to keep their legacy intact almost to the point that playing it so safe at first listen might sound like a sell out in and of its self as they are known for beiong innovaters. Thus brining up the point that this music is just what comes out of them naturally when they pick up their instruments rather than so called shoe gazers of today who gon into recreating thios sort of thing with preconcieved notions.
The album gets better with each track as only tomorrow has a defined melodic line to it no matter how spaciously it drifts away. the guitar plays a single note thing here that is fuzzed out and lazy but by some definitions be considered a solo. The layers of guitar also works really well. The production on this album seems on the bright side for these guys though key elements of their sound remain intact.
"Who see you" might as well be straight off " Loveless". The guitar has the sluggish drag to it , like it was recorded backwards underwater while tripping. But to say it sounds like it's off the 1991 album isnt to say that it sounds dated. The first new sounds from the band are on the song "Is this and Yes" which has keyboard swell and feels like the intro of Cocteau Twins song, though unlike Elizabeth Fraisers band it never develops into anything but sits like an interlude. I had to listen to it a few times as it serves best as an intro to the next song and I wanted to make sure in in fact does the same thing for all five minutes.
"If I am " has a more percussive sense of music to the swirl. I think it's in this sonics sphere what they do works it best. There are some really interesting guitar sounds, nothing out of left field from what's been heard before from them. The song defy the verse/chorus song structure and drone on one thing and add layers to that. "New you" does go in a different direction , more sixties psychedelic in feel, with the bass line thumping the song ahead. This is the first song I could hear on alternative radio from this one and feels the most accessible. The vocals can be understood, the beat can almost be danced toand has the most structured changes as well. You can see where Blonde Redhead was influenced by these guys here.
"In Another way" Has almost a heavy feel to it at first before the vocals come in, then it's drive turns an inverse slither, with sharp guitar lines coming out like bagpipes. This is one of the more abrasive portions of the album, but it's not boring noise,there is some melody laying back into the angular fuzz. This one must sound great through head phones as there is all kinds of crazying panning going on and every instrument bounces off the others. "Nothing Is" where the previous song almost had a heavy feel to it , this one actually does. While the guitars are fuzzed and club you like "Manic Depression" by Jimi Hendrix if Boyd Rice decided to set it on a loop. Is it respective , yes but that's the point and it doesn't bore,e like the five mins of keyboard swells earlier in the album did. Fans of the band get what they want from them hear so mission accomplished, the one song on here that I just mentioned that bored me is the only real mistep aside from some of this coming across like recycled Loveless, so they are damned if they do damned if they don't veer for that sound , so I will give this one an 8.5 though it might grow on me and make it to a nine before its all said and done.
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