-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
ARTIST..: Airiel
ALBUM...: Molten Young Lovers
GENRE...: Indie
STYLE...: Shoegaze
YEAR....: 2017
LABEL...: Newtok / Art Union
ENCODER..: FLAC 1.3.1 -8 -V TRACKS..: 16
BITRATE..: 957 kbps avg SOURCE..: CD
QUALITY..: 44.1kHz/Stereo SIZE....: 586.48 MB
URL..: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airiel
http://fadeawayradiate.com/2017/10/airiel-molten-young-lovers/
http://www.allmusic.com/album/molten-young-lovers-mw0003088412
- TRACKLIST
Disc 1 "Molten Young Lovers"
------
1 This Is Permanent 5:36
2 Cloudburst 4:57
3 Your Lips My Mouth 4:50
4 Molten Young Lovers 4:39
5 Mind Furnace 2:31
6 Sharron Apple 5:22
7 Song Of You 7:21
8 Inside Out 6:31
9 Keep You 6:10
10 Red Car 4:35
11 You Sweet Talker 4:24
12 The Painkillers 5:26
Disc 2 "Kid Games" EP (Bonus Disc)
------
1 Funerals 5:29
2 You Against The Rest Of Us 6:07
3 Flashlight Tag 3:56
4 Daydreamer 6:37
Total Playtime: 84:31
NOTICE: The title of track 5 is MISPRINTED on the cover! It should read
Furnace and not Furnance. This misprint also on the vinyl LP covers.
The correct track title is listed on the obi strip and songtext sheet as well as the Art Union website.
http://www.artuniongroup.co.jp/newtok/top/2017/10/02/artnt-025/
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/molten-young-lovers/id1262142684
Check also the links above.
Track 2 "Cloudburst" on the other hand is correct on the CD cover and incorrect on
the obi strip and website.
*
The absolute shoegaze treat for October! Finally a new Airiel album. Not only
that but for fans of Airiel's "Winks and Kisses" phase you get here a
fantastic return to that sound. This album does NOT disappoint!
An added extra with this releases is the "bonus" CD version of "Kid Games"
which was previously available on vinyl only.
*
Shelflife is thrilled to announce Airiel's second full-length LP, Molten
Young Lovers, coming out on double LP and digital formats. This album is the
much-anticipated follow-up to 2012's Kid Games EP.
"Cloudburst," the record's first single (which was released this past March),
provides a clear insight into the record's magic. The huge chorus is carried
by a vocal melody that stands out as the largest part, only complimented by
the waves of cascading guitar. In fact, 'large' might be the best possible
descriptor for Molten Young Lovers as a whole. The tracks on this LP have a
larger-than-life quality, partly due to the crisp production. Kiss' drums are
hard-hitting and clear, the guitars are enveloping and lush, and Blanton's
basslines flesh out the walls of sound created by the rest of the band.
Molten Young Lovers is an album that feels instantly seamless, but that
doesn't prevent Airiel from covering a wide range of dynamic ground. Tracks
like the opener, "This Is Permanent," and the final track, "The Painkillers,"
are uptempo songs carried by the unwavering rhythm section, while much of
what's in-between--such as "Your Lips, My Mouth"--feel more reflective,
without sacrificing any intensity.
In a 2011 interview, Wrenn mentioned that to others, he often describes his
music as, "It's really loud, it's pretty and you can dance to it." At first,
this might sound like a description that could fit any number of bands.
However, upon diving into Airiel's new album, you'll find it to be both an
apt description and an inarguable truth. Molten Young Lovers is a record too
loud, too big, and too beautiful to be ignored.
*
It's been nearly a decade since Chicago's Airiel played their sole UK tour
and I was lucky to see them (in support of regular collaborator Ulrich
Schnauss) in the enchanted setting of Salford's Sacred Trinity church, with
the highlight a beautiful rendition of my request for 'Cinnamon', from their
excellent Winks and Kisses compilation, that I'd stumbled on a few years
before. With just one full-length in 2007 and their Kid Games EP in 2012,
their output has been fairly sparse until the sudden appearance online of
'Cloudburst' towards the end of last year. Molten Young Lovers, only their
second album of their long career, has certainly been worth the wait,
maintaining their effects-driven dreamy stance that has bode them so well
over the years.
An extended late-80s drum machine intro introduces 'This Is Permanent', as
shards and swathes of glacial guitar and a rumbling back-and-forth bass move
the song forward, carrying on the mantle from recent acts, The Depreciation
Guild or Longwave, with a foot still firmly in the early 90s. Jeremy Wrenn's
vocal is plaintive and predominant in the mix, rather than being drowned out
by the instrumentation. A nice if somewhat formulaic opener.
'Cloudburst' is an instant success, with an expansive opening as drums, a
rolling bass and soaring guitars set the stall, as arpeggiod guitars circle
round the track. The monotone vocals take on higher tones and new dimensions
in the bridge and the triumphant chorus and are far better for it, akin to
The Away Days, Air Formation and other contemporary gazers.
The rather insufferably-titled 'Your Lips My Mouth', which is hopefully more
of a ploy on a Cocteau Twins track maintains the squall of atmospheric
guitars, but takes the pace down a notch to a more pedestrian level, sadly
reflected in much of the track. The bass is more sedate and Jeremy's vocals
feel furlorned and lifeless. The song still sounds huge, but doesn't really
go anywhere, until the bass-heavy drums drop out and the track changes tact,
stepping into a restrained, beautiful and heartfelt refrain, that could rival
Slowdive at their most melancholic. A gorgeous salvage of a track that could
have been lost to indifference.
That change of momentum seems to have had an impact on the title track, a
slow- burner with nice leading, spacious and reflective instrumentation.
Bright and breezy, with some lovely double-tracked vocals, it is an
optimistic and uplifting number. Not prone to settling down 'Mind Furnace'
uses sampled, background noises, crashing gongs, heavier percussion and
whispered vocals to a positive effect. The only troubling matter is that the
beautiful descending guitar sounds too much like Paul Weller's The
Changingman.
Perhaps the biggest surprise on the album though is the inclusion of 'Sharron
Apple'. A track first released as one of their Winks & Kisses EPS nearly 15
years previous. This revision of the past is a beefier version whilst
maintains the frenetic pace of the original. It's still a bit puzzling of why
it's been included, but it's still a great link to past glorious, with direct
lyrics ôAll These Things I Know, I never wished for, this is all the muck I
learned from youö and great tone drops in the chorus.
Back to the present 'Song Of You' also possesses a great change in tone in
its chorus, as chiming and haunting guitars and a marauding bass that weaves
neatly in and around the sonic backing leads to the song to it. Jeremy's
vocal fits better into the frame of the track, that is so effortlessly
dreamy, is it easy to smother yourself in its warm and enveloping notes.
The shimmering opening to 'Keep You' maintains the substance of the album,
with guitars sent from the heavens, nodding to The Cocteau Twins and The
Pains Of Being Pure At Heart at their most relaxed, with only an over-used
bass drum feeling a little intrusive to proceedings. Likewise 'You Sweet
Talker' takes a stripped-down approach at first, hinting at The Field Mice,
as the pace remains cautious, only to be enlivened by the appearance of bass
and drums. Both tracks though feel a little lightweight, as if the melodies
were a late afterthought to the textures, though the latter benefits from the
appearance of a female vocal towards the end of the track that is a nice
touch that lifts the song.
'Red Car' is an definite improvement. Louder and fuller from the off, moving
away from the floaty and light production, as tremolo-saturated guitars
dominate. Though Jeremy's vocals are set-back, with a hint of distortion,
they are delivered more forcefully, backed by drums that also push their way
past, leading to a more driven and purposeful number, that shows what Airiel
are capable of.
'The Painkillers' also shows more oomph, with a nice two-line repeated guitar
riff, supplementing shrilled guitars on the speedy album closer, driving the
song along, before it goes into full MBV meltdown.
Not afraid to acknowledge their influences Airiel have produced a luscious
album that seems like a natural progression of their Winks & Kisses era
(quite literally with one track), rather than their last two releases. With
the initial early 90s Shoegazing trailblazers reappearing out of the woodwork
and producing new material there could always be a danger than those that
appeared in their wake could be squeezed out, however with strong releases
such as Young Molten Lovers and with Airiel continuing to forge their own
identity, there is still plenty of room for these artists to successfully
co-exist.
*
The closest thing I can relate to AirielÆs second album entitled æMolten
Young LoversÆ is the 1980Æs sound of shoegaze: which in its crawling faze was
not just shoegaze but a neat mixture between dream pop, soul, synthpop and
anything else you could fit in. æMolten Young LoversÆ is the kind of album
that harkens to this older and more reminiscent sound while also adding
flavours of current and modern day shoegaze scene. And just like the first
rays of shoegaze that shone through in the 1980Æs, there is often a
downtrodden and somewhat reflective quality to the album that makes it all
the more rewarding to listen to and explore. æMolten Young LoversÆ was
released back on the 13th October 2017 via the good folks over at æShelflife
RecordsÆ with the album available to buy/download on various formats from
both shelflife.com and airiel.bandcamp.com
æThis Is PermanentÆ opens with a drum machine heavy programmed beat that
leads into a full scale shoegaze-led guitar progression. The soundscapes and
layering of sound that flexes from the guitar adds a whole other level to the
sound of the music, as well as the impressive (and loud) vocal performance.
Much like the music of MBV, AirielÆs brand of shoegaze are in fact linear pop
tunes wrapped up with layers of wall to wall effects, and while Airiel are
nowhere near as ear-shatteringly loud or echo-drenched as MBV, the same kind
of under skin of musicality resides in both. æCloudburstÆ appears more as a
dream pop track, ethereal and wavering in its backing: drenched with layers
and layers of soaring synth and beautiful tones. The drums roll along to
capture the essence of late 80Æs, early 90Æs breezy dream pop music; this
transition continues onto æYour Lips, My MouthÆ which is a brilliantly
original album highlight. This track adds more layering onto the already
dense instrumental structure of æCloudburstÆ and a darker tone of colour to
the music: mix this with the vocal and the shimmering guitar performance and
you have a crafty mixture of nostalgic tones and a kind of contemplative
feeling of desolation; fantastic.
æMolten Young LoversÆ follows on with a more moody and ambient opening before
sliding back into a dream pop-esque textured passage of guitars and rumbling,
rolling drums. Between the rhythm section and a synth based soundscape at the
back of the mix, æMolten Young LoversÆ offers a kind of post-punk element to
the album, this stands at the background of what turns into a beautiful
ballad. The lyrics, the delivery, are truly brilliant: these all blend
together for added emotive depth and effect. æMind FurnaceÆ slows things down
and sounds similar to an interlude of sorts, unfortunately, the tracks blend
of electronic based beats and ambience demonstrates a type of tedious and
slight flavour.
æSharron AppleÆ resumes the pace of the previous half of the album, extending
the concept of layered guitar music to an almost noise rock level while also
retaining the same kind of pop ballad aestethic of the previous songs also.
æSong For YouÆ is an enjoyable song, albeit lengthy and slightly frustrating
in its weight, but with several rewarding and attractive passages (especially
the outro). Another rewarding but lengthy journey is the follower æKeep YouÆ,
which features some great keyboard and guitar playing, as well as a fantastic
second half and outro. æRed CarÆ returns to the aforementioned parameter of
noise rock and more distorted guitar song, featuring a fantastic drum
performance and musical cross over. æYou Sweet TalkerÆ remains the strongest
track on the albums weightier second half: its more ballad like approach,
slow and slight crescendo and progression over its duration is a rewarding
listening experience in relation to the other tracks on the album. æThe
PainkillersÆ opens with a speedy drum and guitar lead section before diving
into the downtrodden strums of the music at the beginning of the second half
of the album. Its another emotive, vocal lead track, equipped with a neat
double tap snare beat and a screeching central guitar riff.
If æMolten Young LoversÆ demonstrates one thing, it is that collectively
Airiel are talented and creative songwriters; across the board the album
features some fantastically encapsulating songs and performances to go along
with them. The talent of the band themselves are also a strong playing factor
in what makes the album a thoroughly enjoyable experience: each instrument is
given as much time as the next, with equal delicacy and patience on each
track as much so on the one before it. If there were criticisms to be made
about the album it would be the length (twelve tracks) and the much more
weighted down second half. The songs on the first half of æMolten Young
LoversÆ seem to comfortably balance stylistic song writing with a comfortable
weight and a brilliant sound. On the second half sometimes things tend to
drag on and become slightly monotonous. Either way, it possesses some
ridiculously well written songs that act as subtle reminders of past musical
movements while simultaneously introducing the bands own original take on
genres such as shoegaze and dream pop. Listen out for the stunning
production, for the intelligent performance, and ultimately, for the sound.
-=- 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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