Polychrome: The Pink Album Postlude

Even for a group as musically adventurous as Unloved, the trio outdid itself with The Pink Album, which covered electronic experiments, symphonic pop, glam rock, and more in its double-album sprawl. Featuring more songs from that records sessions, Polychrome: The Pink Album Postlude plays like a microcosm of its predecessor, albeit with a bit more focus. Once again, Jade Vincent, Keefus Ciancia, and David Holmes deliver quintessential examples of their darkly maximalist 1960s pop drama in "I Just Stop," where each string crescendo reaches a new level of desperate heartache, and "Far from Home," a reworking of a sweetly cynical epic from 2015s Guilty of Love EP that lives up to the overused term "cinematic" as it swells, glimmers, and drifts away over the course of seven minutes. However, many of Polychromes thrills come from less familiar sounds. The title tracks dazzling cocktail of psychedelia and exotica continues The Pink Albums inventiveness with delirious layers of flanged drums and funky, zigzagging keyboards that provide the perfect backdrop for Vincents ominously seductive vocals. The intensity of Unloveds emotions is just as trippy, particularly on the albums tender moments. Aloft on billowing chord changes, misty harmonies, and a fluttering harp, "Thank You for Being That Friend, You Know, the One You Never Want to Say Goodbye To" is too strange and heartfelt to be saccharine; similarly, "Its Hard to Hold You Close When the World Keeps Turning" grounds the syrupy warmth of 70s AM radio pop ballads -- harpsichord filigrees, perky pizzicato strings, and all -- in genuine feeling. As always, Unloveds ear for detail is unmatched, and hearing them play with sound and space remains fascinating. On "Tell Me," ricocheting bongos seem to defy the laws of physics while the chorus of Vincents vocals ranges from demanding to heartbroken to bored. Another highlight, "I Did It," starts out as Peggy Lee gone synth pop before pulling back the curtain on an unearthly cabaret number. It can be easier to appreciate music this overflowing with ideas in smaller doses, and Polychrome: The Pink Album Postludes bite-size length lets listeners savor the dizzying musical time machine rides that Unloved does so well. ~ Heather Phares