MEMORIALS - All Clouds Bring Not Rain

MEMORIALS - All Clouds Bring Not Rain

words: David Carr

There is a line halfway through the album on ‘Reimagined River’, “The hidden treasure is not gone for good, Still, we wonder why it was”. It describes the album quite well as MEMORIALS have mined what has gone before, and might have been forgotten by many. Pulling from different genres and decades to create a modern record with vintage sleeves. Certainly, there are Spiritualized vibes to the album opener ‘Life Could Be A Cloud’. The pace, the organ, the two distinct gear changes from minimal to maximal and back again…and again, maybe even Arcade Fire too. Lead single ‘Cut Glass Hammer’ references the early synth-based krautrock of bands like Can. ‘Dropped Down The Well’ is a fantastic 60s psych freak out, the later ‘Watching The Moon’ has a similar attack. ‘Mediocre Demon’ has a lyric that references Le Voyage dans la Lune and neatly channels a more French take on the ‘60s sound du jour. The drums sound sampled with feathered synths and nods to big band sound. ‘Bell Miner’ aligns very closely to the previous track in terms of style, a musical digestif as it were. ‘Lemon Trees’ brings in jazz elements and builds beautifully, layering both instruments and vocals. Going from a dreamy piano track to one of edgy electronica, and not to be left out ‘Holy Invisible’ adds a top-drawer prog track to the roster. Ultimately, even though it’s more musically diverse, the mission seems more focused, and the album in turn benefits enormously.