Pocket Fantasy

シンガー / ギタリストLIVVY BENNETT 率いるL.A.インディーロック・バンドMAMALARKY の2NDアルバムがFIRE TALKよりCD / LPリリース!
セルフタイトルデビュー作でみせたユニークなサウンドをさらに発展させつつ、バンドのピュアなポップ・センスと共に衝突した意欲作!遊び心のあるグルーヴとジグザグしたリフがタップリと詰まっています。

Mamalarkys eponymous full-length debut saw release in late 2020, when three-quarters of the band -- singer/guitarist Livvy Bennett (Cherry Glazerr), keyboardist Michael Hunter (White Denim), and bassist Noor Khan -- were already taking shelter from the COVID-19 pandemic together in a rented house in Atlanta, Georgia, hometown of Khan. Meanwhile, drummer Dylan Hill remained in the bands birthplace of Austin, Texas, making regular road trips to Atlanta to record material for their largely home-recorded second album. The resulting Pocket Fantasy only amplifies the off-kilter, catchy, kaleidoscopic tendencies of their debut, with more strata and the addition of components like field recordings and household objects (trash can lids, sandbags) incorporated into their playful toolbox. The calliope-like "Frog 2" kicks things off with a polyrhythmic mix of Casio keyboards, metallic percussion, laser-like sound effects, and layered vocal harmonies by Bennett, which together launch listeners into their hyperreal sound universe. At the same time, the songs trippy lyrics reflect on parallel real-life and social-media realities with lines including "This ones for anyone who lost their stride/Far and wide" and "Projections, connections, human-being dimensions/How can I introduce myself?" Next up, the friendship-themed "Mythical Bonds" takes a giddier, more guitar-driven sonic approach that Bennett referred to as "serotonin rock," while, later on, "You Know I Know" settles into a more structured, hook-driven cosmic pop, replete with musically cathartic, fortissimo vocal harmonies. A response to YouTube commenters, the driving "Shining Armor" puts the Mamalarky spin on funky jazz-rock ("No one cares/ You wont be hurting anyone in precious metals now"). Elsewhere, they dial the color back a bit on tracks including the ethereal ballad "It Hurts," which clears space for acoustic guitar and twinkling keys, and two-minute epilogue "Now," which regrets that "Things move too fast now/For us to ever find that time again." The band never exits Pocket Fantasys auditory world, however, right through the closing vocal harmonies and stratocumulus keys. ~ Marcy Donelson