Moonflowers＜Clear Vinyl＞

SACRED BONES RECORDSからの一連の作品も高い評価を得ているマサチューセッツ出身、現在はニューヨークを拠点とするミュージック・コレクティヴ、CONSTANT SMILESがFELTE RECORDSより放つニューアルバム!

ノイジーなサウンドスケープ、オーガニックなチェンバーポップ、コールド・ウェイヴ / シンセポップまで多様な音楽スタイルを多彩なコラボレーターを迎え制作されたアルバム。TALK TALKやNICK DRAKEの名作群、ADRIANNE LENKER、JIM O'ROURKEのポップ・アルバムまでをも彷彿させる素晴らしい内容。HOVVDY好き直撃の没入感溢れるアンビエント・ポップ"TIME MEASURED IN MOONFLOWERS"には、CASSANDRA JENKINSも参加しています。

For years, the most consistent thing about Constant Smiles was their name. Singer/songwriter Ben Jones surrounded himself with shifting collaborators and sounds that spanned Losts moody outbursts, Paragons folk-pop, and Kenneth Angers shimmering electronics. Given that history, Moonflowers musical and emotional openness comes as a surprise -- but a welcome one. The albums search for connection and growth is reflected in Constant Smiles own trajectory: Late in 2022, drummer Nora Knight joined Jones and longtime bassist Spike Currier, completing the bands first-ever permanent lineup. This stability has done wonders. Bolstered by warm, immediate production, Moonflowers sophisticated yet lived-in songs bloom as they balance acceptance and discovery. On "Allowed to Be," Jones flickers between doubt and hope, worrying "that Im not enough" before finding hard-won serenity on its choruses. Written by Knight, "Harriman" is another standout: over brass that glows like sunbeams, guest vocalist Wednesday Knudsen repeats "I am trying so hard/To be a better person," gaining mantra-like strength with every turn. Though Moonflowers largely acoustic instrumentation complements its vulnerability perfectly, its also artful enough to lend grace to confessions that could feel awkward in less skilled hands. On “I Know Your Name,” Constant Smiles meld strings and synths as smoothly as they navigate the albums complicated moods. The bands use of light and shadow, intimacy and space, and powerful softness make comparisons to Nick Drake and Talk Talk apt, while "In Place of Time" and "Everything Is Personal" rival If You’re Feeling Sinister-era Belle and Sebastian when it comes to pop thats heartwarming and bittersweet in equal measure. Vestiges of Constant Smiles goth leanings linger in how naturally they embrace difficult feelings on the aching "When Youre Gone" or the ghostly, late-night reflections of "Running Out on Life," but they end the album with something close to optimism. As the rippling guitars of "Time Measured in Moonflowers" give way to a galaxy of synths and strings, it sounds like an awakening; when Jones sings “let the sky swallow me whole,” its as if hes falling in love with possibilities of ends and beginnings. After years of wandering, Constant Smiles sound reborn. An album that feels like a secret worth sharing, Moonflowers is an elegant, empathetic balm for this time, and for all time. ~ Heather Phares