I have always erred on the side of pop music which wanders into the 60s, psychedelia, and Day-Glo pastures of the genre rather than that which panders to modern expectations. In the past, it would be to artists such as XTC, Redd Kross or The Soft Boys I would look to, more recently Anton Barbeau, now I have Vanilla Bloom.
But whereas those mentioned above were very much guys-with-guitars making paisley-pop based on past glories, Vanilla Bloom seems to be offering a new take on the mix, one based on both digital playfulness and analogue experimentation, familiar sounds and fresh invention. And the results are fantastic.
Songs such as Helicopter, 1997 are off-kilter and brilliantly odd, Sleepy Boy is built on shards of raw, sonic energy bundled together into soundscapes and Skyflower is beguiling and beautiful in a futuristic and far-out sort of way…maaan!
An album which is as great as it is unexpected!
