-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
Artist..: Stealing Sheep
Album...: Not Real
GENRE...: Pop
STYLE...: Psychedelic Pop, Indie Pop, Electronic
YEAR....: 2015
LABEL...: Heavenly ENCODER..: LAME 3.98.4 -V0
SOURCE..: CD BITRATE..: 234 kbps avg
TRACKS..: 10 SIZE.....: 58.41 MB
URL..: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stealing_Sheep
- TRACKLIST
1 Sequence 3:13
2 Apparition 3:18
3 Not Real 3:06
4 This Time 3:38
5 Greed 4:44
6 Deadlock 3:35
7 Evolve & Expand 2:32
8 Sunk 2:38
9 Love 3:49
10 She 3:59
Total Playtime: 34:32
When Stealing Sheep released their album, Into The Diamond Sun, in 2012, they
described it as æmedieval-kraut-folkÆ. ThatÆs the kind of laborious
portmanteau term that often gets thrown at apparently unclassifiable records
in an act of unthinking laziness û but in the case of Into The Diamond Sun,
itÆs about as concise a description as anyone is likely to come up with.
It was in some ways a darkly pastoral record, glinting with bright sunlight,
but threatening a sunset that might bring all kinds of horrors. It indicated
a passion for creating strange sounds from analogue synths that justified the
Krautrock comparisons, but it also had a slightly primitive-sounding
hey-nonny-nonnyish tone that validated the medieval tag. All in all it felt
not quite of its time, and it made Stealing Sheep an intriguing prospect.
Their second album, Not Real, sounds much more of the present time, but the
trio have brought the dark pastoral feel into the 21st century. ItÆs more of
a pop album, specifically a synthpop album û think Hot Chip, Bat For Lashes
and maybe even La Roux. Yet for every catchy hook there is an unexpected
detail, or a turn around a concealed corner.
Deadlock, for instance, is one of the likeliest earworms here, powered by its
chorus. But itÆs followed by the sparse, sinister Evolve And Expand, an
acoustic track which might sounds rather sweet if you only tuned into it in
time to catch the wordless vocal hook that kicks in midway through û and thus
missed the opening line, delivered with breathy nonchalance: ôThey will cook
you up and grind you down for glue and clay.ö
Similarly, Love is a fine pop song about re-reading love letters that
shuffles and shimmers towards a conventionally catchy chorus û ôL.O.V.E.,
spell it out so I can see your loveö û but it breaks with pop conventions in
some ways. ThereÆs just a little too much drone in the background organ
sounds, and sometimes a little too much weight placed on a single synth part
for it to feel conventional û and itÆs all the better for that. It contains
one of the albumÆs loveliest lyrics, too: ôMy pastel heart turns fuchsia
pink.ö
Greed is another particularly strong track. It begins with a slow, primitive
beat, and hidden in the mix a hint of dissonant percussion. When the vocal
line begins itÆs delivered with the nasal insouciance of John Lennon; backing
vocals then intone the melody, and the combination has the effect of a rising
drone. Snippets of brass, woodwind and organ gradually enter, sounding
halfway between Celtic folk and Indian raga. That Lennon-like singing is not
the only The Beatles reference that comes to mind.
Not Real might feature some curious details, but the album lures you in with
a triple-run of poppier tracks û Sequence, with its big bass synth; the
light-footed Apparition; and the title track û opening the record. At first
Stealing Sheep might seem to have become over-reliant on synths, but closer
inspection û and a foray into the deeper, darker recesses of the album û
reveals that the folk moods and instrumentation are still in there.
Stealing Sheep consists of three young women from Liverpool so it might be a
bit of lazy comparison to say that they sound like an experimental reboot of
Atomic Kitten. But listen to Sunk: it opens with sparse percussion and guitar
and feature with a psychedelic synth solo, but between these two parts is
something not terribly far removed from a traditional pop ballad, enriched
with the three-part vocal harmonies that are so integral to the bandÆs
overall sound. It sums up an album thatÆs more mature and focussed than
Stealing SheepÆs debut, harnessing all of their interesting quirks within a
showcase of excellent songwriting.
*
On their 2012 debut, Liverpool psych-pop trio Stealing Sheep perfected the
self-described "Medieval Kraut-folk" that they'd introduced two years prior
via a trio of well-received EPs. Not Real, the band's sophomore long-player,
eschews that penchant for pairing brooding, heathen folk-rock with shimmery,
late-'90s dream pop in favor of a more accessible approach that seasons their
circular harmonies and serpentine melodies with liberal dollops of icy
electronica. More Alt-J than Smoke Fairies, the ten-track set manages to
retain the offbeat lyricism and subtle, supernatural vibe of its predecessor,
but Rebecca Hawley, Emily Lansley, and Lucy Mercer are clearly attempting to
expand their sonic palette (as well as reach a broader audience) this time
around. The album opens in fine form with the glossy, club-ready "Sequence,"
a lineal, post-midnight blast of glacial synth-pop that falls somewhere
between Wild Beasts and Warpaint. The pulsing, ghostly "Apparition" and the
meaty, off-kilter title cut follow suit, but things begin to shift with the
dizzying "This Time," a Lush and Broadcast-inspired, neo-Brit-pop gem that
wraps a nervy, elastic guitar line around a simple two-chord melody that,
once deposited into the listener's ear canal, sets up permanent residence.
The elliptical "Greed" navigates similar aural pathways with its insistent,
raga-like melody and incantation of "greed, you're everything I want, but not
what I need," as does the spartan "Evolve and Expand," a macabre, Twin
Peaks-ian ballad that pairs a lone, finger-picked guitar with Hawley,
Lansley, and Mercer's distinctive and spectral harmonies. Not Real ends up
more or less back where it started, with "Love" and "She" mirroring the
punchy, '80s retro-pop of its beginnings, but it never fails to engender a
sense of unease. Despite their best efforts to thwart it, Stealing Sheep's
intoxicating otherworldliness ultimately wins out.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
** Thanks ***
*** BCC FNT IPC SSR ***
*** For Knowing Where The Music Is At ***
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