The last time I really listened to this band was back on "23". Their 10th album opens with the lazy strum of "Snowman" which is one of the album's only songs that does not blow by you like a breeze as the guitar keeps things grounded. Kazu takes over on "Kiss Her Kiss Her' and things begin to blow away like an ethereal breeze. It took me several listens for the song to register as it was intangible in the wispy ambiance that comprised it. It is consistent with who the band is, but the problem is the bass is shallow in the mix. This causes the overall sound to lack the backbone they once had.
There is more of a folk thing going on with "Not For Me". It was also present in the first song, but this time is more noticeable despite being easily overtaken by the light atmosphere that dominates this album. They must be smoking a shit ton of weed. For those of you who do this album would be perfect for that sort of thing in the way it floats. "Melody Experiment" is one of the album's strongest songs, as it has a smooth groove that goes somewhere in a more substantial fashion. Kazu'sx melodies are also more fully formed. It makes me realize the floating feeling in the two previous songs, was a slight lack of direction.
There is something about "Rest of Her Life" that reminds me of Nico's work with the Velvet Underground. Though less tangible in the direction of the songwriting. The vocals are well-produced. There are two parts to the title track. The first part differs little from what we have heard earlier in the album, whereas the second part shows improvement in working off a beat that allows it to groove amid the wispy mood. The Velvet Underground comparisons arise with "I Thought You Should Know" as the vocals have a phrasing that is like something Lou Reed might do, though I can also hear the influence of John Lennon's solo work here.
They return to their more classic style on "Before" which should appeal to those who are fans of their older material. It is ethereal but has direction. This makes it one of the album's strongest songs. Earlier in the album it felt like the lack of bass in the mix was what took the guts out of the songs, but that has not changed here the melody is just stronger. "If" splits the difference between the band I am familiar with and their more recent direction. It works pretty well, though the chorus hovers with less direction than the verses, but given their stylistic choices, it seems to fit. Sadly the album ends with an airy dream that is forgotten as soon as you wake from it with "Via Savona". I will round this down to an 8.5, while these guys are great at what they do, which is creating songs filled with a surreal mood, that are on the more fey side of dream pop, there is not as much focus as previous albums, but still a great album to get stoned to.
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