Sea When Absent shows a marked improvement basically everywhere, but the strongest evidence is in giving their melodies and vocals clarity to grow and have impact.
With Sea When Absent, A Sunny Day in Glasgow have finally made that loud rock record—full of crashing percussion and screaming guitars—but without abandoning the ambiance that makes them so distinct.
A Sunny Day In Glasgow have more or less become sculptors of sound, turning discord and dissonance into harmonic loveliness.
The band takes risks and makes leaps, and the results on Sea When Absent prove that they are one of the best, most interesting under-the-radar bands of their era.
4/10
finally found a shoegaze album I don't like
Fav tracks: Bye Bye, Big Ocean, Crushin'
The first two tracks of A Sunny Day in Glagow's fourth album Sea When Absent are a good example of kinda shoegaze I don't like very much, in particular the mushy and diffuse sound combined with uninspiring vocals. With "Crushin'" it gets better, further increased with "MTLOV (Minor Keys" and "The Things They Do to Me" are my favourite cuts on this album. Anything else is similar to the first two songs not good but not bad, imo.
A caustic summery fever dream that proves once again that when a vibe is right on a shoegaze/dream pop album I can sink right in it.
4/10
finally found a shoegaze album I don't like
Fav tracks: Bye Bye, Big Ocean, Crushin'
#16 | / | Vulture |
#35 | / | The Needle Drop |
#41 | / | Sputnikmusic |
#44 | / | Pitchfork |
#49 | / | PopMatters |
#73 | / | Under the Radar |