For an album borne out of such uncertainty, the clearest signal it sends out is one of a man creating the most confident music of his career.
While ‘Permanent Signal’ may have taken a whole new approach by Remiddi, the shimmering atmospherics still weave their way through each track. It’s woozy, dreamlike bliss and Mauro Remmidi owns it well.
That atmosphere is well worth soaking in – and it’s a steady sign of progression that indicates Remiddi is on a definite upwards trajectory.
As it stands, this is a strangely seductive record, filled with remarkable musical peaks, and proof positive that an ambitious sophomore departure can be wholly satisfying.
Remiddi himself has a tremulous, feminine voice that works well on shoegazey tracks like ‘Night Birds’ and ‘Cluster’, but his real speciality lies in making the machine sound vulnerable and human.
This time out there are live instruments (drums, cello, and trumpet, to name a few) and a sonic leap to studio quality. It suits Remiddi's music, making the old stuff seem comparatively claustrophobic despite its dreaminess.
Permanent Signal’s lack of ambition and almost-there mentality will leave mouths craving something a bit more flavorful.
Coherent though it is, songs have a habit of blending into one another, and all too often end up sounding like that noise when you’re constantly on hold.
Permanent Signal is more or less more of the same, a mutual fatigue passed on from Porcelain Raft to the listener.