-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Ambient * Ethereal *
Artist..: Tamaryn
Album...: Cranekiss
GENRE....: Indie
STYLE....: Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Indie Rock
LABEL....: Mexican Summer SCENE.....: 2016-02-10
BITRATE..: 936 kbps avg STORE.....: 2015-00-00
ENCODER..: FLAC 1.2.1 -8 -V TRACKS....: 10
SIZE.....: 297.7MB SOURCE....: CD
URL..: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamaryn
- TRACKLIST
1 Cranekiss 3:50
2 Hands All Over Me 3:49
3 Last 4:28
4 Collection 3:25
5 Keep Calling 5:30
6 Softcore 5:42
7 Fade Away Slow 4:46
8 I Won't Be Found 3:17
9 Sugarfix 4:18
10 Intruder (Waking You Up) 5:16
Total Playtime: 44:21
New Zealand-born, New York-based vocalist Tamaryn has certainly paid her
gothic dues. Her two previous albums - 2010Æs The Waves and Tender New Signs
two years later - were awash with drowsy reverb and soporific atmospherics.
Containing the likes of ôMild Confusionö, and ôHeavenly Bodiesö, her
seductive coos - part CurveÆs Toni Halliday, part Hope Sandoval - were the
perfect foil to Rex ShelvertonÆs vivid shoegaze guitar fuzz. Both records
were masterclasses in dark wave.
Shelverton is no longer part of the recording set up, and his absence is
immediately apparent, but as Mark E Smith said about The Fall: ôIf itÆs me
and your nan on bongos, itÆs The Fallö. It's the same for Tamaryn, but the
murk of previous material is cast aside in favour of dreamy, heartbreak pop.
Collaborating with Shaun Durkan of Weekend and Ariel Pink producer George
Albretch, Cranekiss is the album Tamaryn says she's been leading up to since
the beginning of her recording career, and although the air of solemnity
still apparent, here we have the singer at her most effervescent and direct.
The opening, title track sets the intention out immediately; her soaring
vocals yearning you to "Take what you want / Get what you want" over School
Of Seven Bells-style dance beats and a dash of wailing Kevin Shields-esque
guitar sounds is about as pop as things here can get.
The vibrancy of ôHands All Over Meö is even more explicit. Shimmering synth
stabs and a Girogio Moroder-esque arpeggio accompany Gary Numan influenced
aural textures in a track which resembles the results of a sadly non-existent
collaboration between forgotten æ80Æs popstar Martika and Alan Moulder on
production, ending with a closing two minutes of Nine Inch Nails' electronic
glitch.
The likes of "Last" and ôCollectionö hark back to the Tamaryn sounds of old,
but with new found clarity. Where her forays into pop were tentative in the
past, these tracks scream to take them in their arms - the formerÆs humongous
chorus and soaring vocal work results in the kind of bombast that would have
Florence Welch saying "bit much". The six minutes of "Softcore" prove to be a
highlight, the urgent new wave beats and The Cure's basslines work its way
into a dark piece of propulsive techno with shrill shoegaze guitars and
reverbed drama. It comes as no surprise that this is a collaboration with
Mexican Summer label mates Ashrae Fax, as this could easily have been a track
Never Really Been Into It, arguably 2014Æs finest indie record.
The Cranekiss climax comes in the shape of the ôSugar FixöÆs wanton euphoria.
Insistent acoustic guitars and New Order circa 1982 basslines accompany a
robust electronic beat work their way towards an idyllic chorus of
unbelievable prettiness, this is Tamaryn reimagined as the Pet Shop Boys
featuring Robyn Guthrie. With eyes squinting against the summer sun, it's a
delectable piece of pop youÆll keep heading back to for more.
Although hardly her 'Bob Dylan goes electric' moment, Cranekiss shows the
logical progression of an artist who quite rightly acknowledges that sheÆd
gone as far as she could with the aloof murkiness of her first two albums. By
taking a sharp turn into the light, the shades of grey of her older material
have been splattered by blasts of glorious technicolour, a move resulting in
her best album to dat
*
By the mid-2010s, the revivals of shoegaze and synth pop had been around for
quite a while -- several times longer than the styles' original heydays, in
fact -- and sometimes felt overly familiar. However, Tamaryn enlivens both by
combining them on Cranekiss, resulting in some of her most arresting music
yet. It's quite the departure from the distortion-laden bliss of Waves and
Tender New Signs, echoing changes such as her move to New York and the
addition of Weekend's Shaun Durkan to her band. Another key collaborator is
producer Jorge Elbrecht (also of Violens and Lansing-Dreiden), whose finesse
with samples and keyboards lends a retro-futuristic sound, most audaciously
on "Softcore," where found sounds from porn websites and excerpts from the
film Paris, Texas commingle with winding guitars to make shoegaze's eroticism
explicit in more ways than one. Interestingly, Cranekiss' less showy
juxtapositions of softness and structure are even more striking, with the
album's first three tracks capturing the sensual thrill of the best dream pop
and Top 40 singles of the late '80s and early '90s. Sweeping and swooning,
"Cranekiss" lives up to its name; "Hands All Over Me" blends caressing synths
and pointed funk; and "Last" rivals other widescreen pop auteurs like M83 and
White Sea. Meanwhile, the album's more traditionally ethereal second side
strengthens Tamaryn's kinship with the Cocteau Twins and contemporaries like
Pure Bathing Culture, with songs like "Sugarfix" and "Fade Away Slow"
reinvigorating vintage dream pop's glassy lucidity and fondness for gauzy
imagery. In all, Cranekiss is a beautiful pop fantasia that finds Tamaryn
expressing her music's passion and sensuality in exciting new ways.
*
When Tamaryn released her debut record, 2010's The Waves, she found herself
quickly pigeonholed amongst the shoegaze revivalists. Here was an album of
whirring guitars, and a vocal performance that was more about conveying an
atmosphere than any distinct meaning - it's safe to say that it wore its
influences proudly. Whilst there was a lot to like about the record, it felt
like many weren't really digging deep, instead taking it at a purely
superficial level. 2012 saw the release of Tender New Signs, an album which
took the sonic template Tamaryn had set a step further. Now, three years
later she returns with Cranekiss, an album that feels distinctly removed from
its predecessors.
Things are different from the off, with a big '80s drum fill introducing the
record and the guitars softened to a purr. Tamaryn's vocals begin with the
same indistinct breathlessness that characterised her earlier records, but
quickly sharpen into focus for the chorus. The album's title track is bigger
and brighter than anything we've heard from the artist before and it's clear
that this is a significant step. Unlike its predecessors Cranekiss is an
album that wants its moment in the spotlight, it refuses to be ethereal
backing.
Lead single 'Hands All Over Me' exemplifies this best, with a euphoric synth
lead and a huge power-rock chorus opening the track. As the song progresses
we're introduced to galloping bass synthesiser, warm guitar chords and
glistening chimes. Whilst Tender New Signs and The Waves were content to
present barren shoegaze soundscapes, 'Hands All Over Me' is unabashedly pop.
Its chorus goes all in on a fun sing-a-long hook and the backing is richly
detailed, with plenty to tempt the ear. An extended outro marrying roaring
guitar, chimes and sampled percussion reminds us of Tamaryn's sonic
foundations, whilst providing an atmospheric finale.
The video which accompanies 'Hands All Over Me' takes place in a neon-soaked
peep show, yet the music eliminates any sense of sleaze. Tamaryn's chorus
refrain of "put your hands all over me / do everything I like" puts the
desire on the female protagonist, whilst the verses make clear that they see
no need to change for others. They are in control throughout.
Desire plays throughout the record, the most obvious example being
'Softcore', a track that's somewhat darker in tone than the rest of the
record. The guitars are brought to the fore, underscored by distant,
melancholic synth chimes and Tamaryn's voice becomes a deeper whisper.
Atmospheric chords ring out over a chorus of sampled female orgasms. "And you
will never be alone," promises Tamaryn in the song's bridge.
The other thing that's noticeable on Cranekiss is the greater focus on
vocals. With Tamaryn no longer buried under a thick fog of guitars, she's
able to step forward and show what she's capable of, not just in terms of
delivery, but also songwriting. 'Softcore' and 'Hands All Over Me' are
probably Tamaryn's most direct tracks, with the singer imbuing her other
songs with a whole new ambiguity through opaque imagery. 'Fade Away Slow',
one of the album's highlights is a great example of it. Amidst a dark,
swagger of bass and guitar, Tamaryn's vocal soars like a bird in flight. The
lyrics which reference common nightmares (teeth falling out) hint at a
sinister edge that's been absent throughout the record. The song's guttural
roar is probably the closest to Tamaryn's earlier work, whilst the slow
guitar riff that plays out through the chorus adds a mournful undercurrent.
This all stands in stark contrast to the appropriately syrupy rock of 'Sugar
Fix', which sits just a track away. In fact the second half of Cranekiss
really shows how versatile Tamaryn can be, with the ethereal, M83 vibes of 'I
Won't Be Found' sitting between 'Fade Away Slow' and 'Sugar Fix'. That latter
track, with its jubilant acoustic guitar and bright electric guitar lines,
has a wonderfully autumnal tone to it. It might alienate those that are more
used to the previous two records, but it also shows an innate understanding
of how to craft a wonderfully evocative pop song, with a foot-tapping backing
and a catchy, melancholic hook.
Whilst it's a rather bold step forward for Tamaryn, and brave to ditch a
sound that she'd perfected, there is still a strong sense of her influences
throughout. The Cocteau Twins loom large over this record, but Tamaryn seems
to be aware of this, with the album's production providing a nostalgic sense
to the record. Vocals are multi-tracked and percussion sounds like it was
dragged straight out of the late '80s, it doesn't really revolutionise the
sound, but then it feels like that wasn't what the band was aiming for. The
album really excels though in its second half, with the tracks mentioned
above being essential. However, this doesn't mean the first half is any less
interesting or indeed fun. Cranekiss is a carefully crafted and wonderfully
written record and beyond that it marks a new, exciting step in Tamaryn's
career.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
** Thanks ***
*** BCC FNT IPC SSR ***
*** For Knowing Where The Music Is At ***
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* NuHS we miss you! *
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