Pastoral is a towering work that truly distils all of its maker's talents into a unified whole. It runs deeper than being merely being just a response to Brexit. Its a braver album than that, one that can face horror in hope for better times, one of innocence and experience.
There is absolutely no doubting that Pastoral is a phenomenal piece of work. It’s a brilliantly informed artistic statement and a state of the nation address that cuts right through.
Pastoral is a bizarre album in the most positive way, and its amalgamation of traditional musical concepts within this futuristic pop structure is what makes it so enticing.
This is high-concept art which shrugs off any accusations of pretension by dint of its integrity and punch. It is impossible to journey far into Pastoral without feeling emotionally affected.
Narratively, conceptually and—most importantly—musically, Pastoral is an awe-inspiring record. Surrounded by some of the strangest, most rewarding sound design in recent electronic memory, Bernholz delivers a potent political message that escapes both alienating specificity and ineffective generalities.
Often on Pastoral, Elizabeth Bernholz’s attempts to defamiliarise the horrors of contemporary British society – Brexit, poverty, xenophobia – through absurdity land squarely on the nose.
If you stumbled upon Gazelle Twin's video for Hobby Horse you might deduct that Elizabeth Bernholz is more of a visual artist than an actual musician, trotting around in the woods on a wooden horse, her face hidden aside from a sinister grin she displays throughout the oddly unnerving video. This visual aspect is something that drives Gazelle Twin, as the recognizable influence of Fever Ray musically also plays into the artistic end of these performances. Bernholz had a similar approach on her ... read more
I poured this spooky ass milk all over my cereal this morning, and I was not disappointed by it! This album is fun and aggressive while still feeling extremely dense and complex. The energy level never dips, it feels fresh and sassy throughout, and I love the album art! Feeling these oats.
O pop se vai e somos deixados com uma bagunça eletrônica assustadora (no bom sentido).
Fav tracks: Little Lambs, Mongrel, Dance of the Peddlers, Dieu et mon droit e Old Thorn
Least fav: Better In My Day
1 | Folly 1:10 | 80 |
2 | Better in My Day 2:50 | 100 |
3 | Little Lambs 3:41 | 80 |
4 | Old Thorn 2:06 | 80 |
5 | Dieu et mon droit 3:42 | 100 |
6 | Throne 1:37 | |
7 | Mongrel 2:41 | |
8 | Glory 5:06 | |
9 | Tea Rooms 2:40 | |
10 | Jerusalem 1:11 | |
11 | Dance of the Peddlers 3:04 | |
12 | Hobby Horse 3:52 | 100 |
13 | Sunny Stories 3:12 | |
14 | Over the Hills 0:40 |
#1 | / | The Quietus |
#4 | / | Drowned in Sound |
#6 | / | Louder Than War |
#9 | / | musicOMH |
#21 | / | Loud and Quiet |
#31 | / | Uncut |
#37 | / | The Vinyl Factory |
#42 | / | Piccadilly Records |
#44 | / | The Wire |
#94 | / | Rough Trade |