Unwishing Well

D.I.Y.キッチンポップの巨匠がポップソングという概念に新たな生命を吹き込む!

HE REDS, PINKS AND PURPLESのニュー・アルバム"UNWISHING WELL"は、サンフランシスコのリッチモンド地区在住のフロントマン、グレン・ドナルドソンがポップソングという概念に新たな生命を吹き込む完璧な達人であることを改めて世界に対して知らしめた至極の逸品であると言えます。

俗に言うドリームポップ調の楽曲達からは同系統の音を鳴らすバンドからは感じることのできないであろう、さながらボン・イヴェールのような異常なまでに湿度の高い温かみのある膨らんだ癒しが発散されており、一聴した後胸の中に残るものはロマンティックで丸みを帯びた柔らかくて優しい太陽である事は間違いありません。

ザ・スミス、マグネティック・フィールズ、フェルトを始めとした先輩方からのインスピレーション+ムードとメロディーに対するグレン・ドナルドソンの天才的な才能が、HE REDS, PINKS AND PURPLES自身しか体現しえないであろう唯一無二のジャンル"D.I.Y.キッチンポップ"を作り上げており、"UNWISHING WELL"はそれを最も純粋に体現していると言えるでしょう!

Glenn Donaldsons prolific output with the Reds, Pinks & Purples often finds him writing songs that serve as mirrors for his own experience in the world of independent music, both in lyrical content and the jangle pop touchstones that inform the songs. 2023s The Town That Cursed Your Name was heavy on lyrics about struggling to survive as an artist, and Unwishing Well (released just about a year later) continues Donaldsons ruminations on life in the indie rock underground with songs that are reflective and subdued. At its most rambunctious, The Town That Cursed Your Name was reminiscent of the upbeat fuzziness of early Magnetic Fields. There are still traces of that here, as with the depressing yet bouncy "Learning to Love a Band" or the low-key pop of "Public Art." Far more often, however, Unwishing Well is spacious and atmospheric. "Your Worst Song Is Your Greatest Hit" layers foreboding synth textures, acoustic guitars, and unrecognizable distortion textures, creating a bedding for Donaldsons breathy baritone. Especially warped moments like "Faith in Daydreaming Youth" bring back some of the 4AD influence Donaldson explored on earlier RP&P albums, where the songs were more about ambience and mood than hooks. The feel of those songs, combined with something akin to the insular, germophobic style that Felt perfected, is evidenced in sad-hearted tunes like "We Only Hear the Bad Things People Say" and the gorgeous instrumental closer "Goodbye Bobby," which drifts by like the hours of a lonely afternoon. Unwishing Well continues the Reds, Pinks & Purples unbroken streak of inspired songs that allude to some of the greats that came before them while landing somewhere new. Its a softer, more cautious chapter than their last album, and more powerful for it. ~ Fred Thomas