Pang is the debut of Caroline Polachek, a pop star and someone who made my favorite record of 2023 so far, so I had high expectations for this one before listening. After a listen or two, I do still love it but I gotta say it's not as strong as Desire overall. There's some strange vocal inflections in this, and other songs tend to drag a little, but the sound she goes for throughout is mystical, ethereal, and lush, complimenting the fantasy-like nature of the artwork and stylings as a whole. It ... read more
Much like last time on PG, Gabriel keeps the same dark atmosphere that Melt had, but enhances it on Security with much more intense, almost tribal drumming throughout these tracks. The songwriting (I'd say) is pretty similar, helping to keep up the dark atmosphere, but the drumming really helps boost this one a little bit past Melt in my eyes. Fantastic work once again from Gabriel, and it's not even his best album!
VERY POSITIVE: San Jacinto, Lay Your Hands On Me, Wallflower
POSITIVE: The ... read more