Loved

ロラパルーザ、コーチェラ、グラストンベリー等の世界最大規模のフェスに出演する豪バイロンベイ出身の5人組ポップ・ファンク・バンド、Parcelsのサード・アルバムが完成!コンセプトは「一体感」、」バンド内、リスナー全てをグルーヴで1つにする!

約3年10カ月ぶりとなる3作目のスタジオ・アルバム。
Jules Crommelinのコメント:「Parcelsには、バンドとしてオーディエンスに喜びを与えるという使命があり、僕はそれをスピリットと捉えている。それは信じられないほどパワフルなものなんだ」
■仕様:ジュエルケース、ブックレット

After landing in the Top 30 in their native Australia as well as charting across Europe with their second album, Day/Night (2021), Parcels remain deeply indebted to the sounds of the 70s on LOVED, an album guided by the theme of unity. What makes Parcels so irresistible here -- at least if one is open to some wholehearted brotherly love -- is that their particular touchstones seem to include funky disco in the celebratory tradition of Chic, certain civil rights-era classic soul, and the vestiges of harmony-driven West Coast hippie folk-rock, all tinged with modern indie and electro-pop. Not entirely party-hearty, a good half of the album succumbs to a yearning bittersweetness, although its relentlessly affectionate throughout, and LOVED kicks off with a dance-funk jam, "Tobeloved." Songs like "Sorry" and "Summerinlove" that fall into the bittersweet category still take a rhythmic approach to melancholier sentiments like "Im sorry that it hurts to be loved/Im sorry that the world isnt easy" and "Try to find a feeling I can use/Try to let the season take me through." When not openly supportive, they at the very least keep the communication channels open. Elsewhere, breaking through any potential resistance to the earnestness and airtight grooves on board, are group harmonies that lift songs like the searching "Leaves" and reassuring "Ifyoucall" into the stratosphere. A track like the striding "Finallyover" celebrates getting unpleasantness out of the way, and the quasi-slow jam "Everybodyelse" actually finds comfort in comparing oneself to others ("Havent you heard? Everythings absurd"). While not for cynics, LOVED is a late-summer delight that comes at audiences with open arms. Comfortable dancing shoes recommended for listening. ~ Marcy Donelson

オーストラリア発の5人組バンド。創造性を試すかのような大作だった前アルバムと比較して、この3作目はモードが明確だ。軽妙なディスコ"Yougotmefeeling"、厳かなダウンテンポの"Finally over"など曲調に幅はあるものの、いずれもすっきりとしていて上品。やはり耳を奪われるのは4(ときに5)声のハーモニー。ナチュラルに昇天する瞬間が何度も訪れます。
bounce (C)田中亮太