Italian,
self-described "cosmic pop" electro-duo Lilies on mars have
brought a progressive sound to their new album '∆GO' – one
that builds on the admirable tenets of the genre as ascribed by the
hypothetical mega-mix from these last years, and brings in elements
previously, exclusively aligned to the poorly-produced and
ill-conceived sounds of the Bandcamp "newest-first" bin. '∆GO' opens into
Grimes territory with ‘Stealing’, an initially-instrumental ode
to arpeggiators and '80s-throwback electronic synths eventually
infiltrated by the heavily-reverbed, near-childlike evocation “it’s
alright”. The track is a strong introduction to ‘∆GO’ and a
compositional standout.
Second track and first
single ‘Dancing Star’ pulls up to the more twee end of Lilies on mars’ cosmic-pop oeuvre, with a shared, repeated vocal melody
playing hopscotch above skittering synth twangs and a murked bass
pedal. This end of Lilies on mars, to me, detracts from that moody,
stabbing neon-glossed film soundtrack drum sound that features so
prominently elsewhere in the album.
Mid-album, ‘From The
Earth To Above’ bounces into ears with a
Game-Boy-videogame-menu-soundtrack synth melody, Joy-Division-esque
bass riff and sound, and more reverb-soaked "oohs" from Masia and
Marina. It’s a welcome reprieve from a spate of boring mid-album
quicksand all too often found in new releases, and a welcome return
to Grimes-channelings as a digi-delayed harmonies warble behind
prominent EQ fiddlings and genuine vocal/harmonic thought.
‘Sympathise’
ricochets multiply from wall to wall, with stutter-drums and a
poly-rhythmic bass synth colliding intermittently as Masia and Marina
move across the electro-pop spectrum to the Bat For Lashes side.
Com-Truise-y samples break in as the song progresses, and fresh
live-guitar stabs drop between heavily compressed snare hits and
cymbal glitches. ‘Sympathise’ is at once unsettling, intriguing
and utterly enjoyable. Album closer ‘I’ve
Got You’ immediately pulls you down, lower than where you started
off with the album. Sparse production enfolds you, whereupon a
haunting, drawn-out syllable picks you by the scruff of the neck and
floats you in yet further. The landscape makes itself more and more
known, modulated feedback implying a tree here and there, until the
sun breaks out from behind the noise-gate and you’re made aware of
the whole environment. Live drums are on the far side of a great
hall while organ sounds float with you in squadron-formation. The
album ends to 90 seconds of fuzz, buzz, glitch and the unsubtle
evocation of a dial-up modem.
'∆GO' is a
sterling album, insofar as it unapologetically weaves a tapestry from
the threads of its multiple forbears, and in so doing creates
something not entirely dissimilar to something you’ve heard before
– but dissimilar enough. It’s the perfect album with which to
answer the question "what next?" after a glut of the 'Drive' soundtrack and 'Visions'.
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