Black Rainbow Sound

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:00:00
Leeds-based indie rock combo Menace Beach continue to reshape their approach on Black Rainbow Sound, their warped, synth-heavy third outing. With their previous effort, 2017's wily Lemon Memory, core duo Liza Violet and Ryan Needham took a purposeful step away from the heavy '90s influences of their debut, striking out into noisier and more cerebral territories. Co-produced by fellow Leeds resident Matt Peel (Eagulls), Black Rainbow Sound plays like a logical -- though starker and ultimately more challenging -- sequel that pushes against the boundaries of their more pop-centric work. Largely written in the studio by Violet and Needham, the initial demos were then re-created by the full band to create a slightly more organic presence. Also figuring into the equation is Brix Smith of the Fall, marking the first time Menace Beach have featured a significant guest collaborator. Stark analog synths and quirky old drum machines burble throughout the album's ten cuts, which alternately swing between strong (if peculiar) melodies and unsettling noisy blasts. Tracks like the Violet-led "Satellite" and "Holy Crow" recalibrate Menace Beach as purveyors of woozy, scuffed-up synth pop while Needham keeps the rock element alive, particularly on the excellent and riffy "Mutator." Pooled together in shared psych-madness with Smith, they turn in a properly daft album closer with the experimental "(Like) Rainbow Juice." Menace Beach have shown a lot of creative growth in their relatively short existence, constantly homing in on their essential elements and discarding the rest with each new release. ~ Timothy Monger