Has anyone come up with the genre post-pop yet? Can I commandeer it? Because, seriously, trying to pin this down has been difficult. The Starlets third long player takes all the dreamy ethereality(?) of post-rock and underpins it with stonking pop songs. Imagine Sigur Ros with a fine line in toe tapping sing along numbers. Now, imagine it’s better than that sounds.
From the opening title track with it’s tripped out wish-upon-a-star stylings you know we’re in for something unique here. Then we’re onto Running Out Of Saturday Night a tragically wistful tale of careering round looking for the heart of the night only to find yourself watching the sunrise from the gutter. Or something. Maybe should’ve read the lyric sheet, but it’s so not needed here.
What The Starlets do here is create beautiful abstract collages with sumptuous arrangements that just drag you in and along with them. It’s lush and effortless (pay attention Broken Records). Not to suggest that it’s all floaty gorgeousness like In Excelcis Grace or the monumental (and wonderfully titled) Crashing Down The Hurry Slope. No, there’s a bunch of power-pop stompers in here. Delivered in a wash of fuzzed-out guitars.
So, dreamy glam metal string action…erm… Just get it and play it really bloody LOUD (always a good thing). It’s immersive and spectacular.
It may be as far removed from the current neo-folk thing that’s doing the rounds just now as dubstep, but, surely, being unable to pigeon-hole something is a trait we should be celebrating? Out Into The Days From Here is a fine addition to a roll-call of excellent Scottish albums so far this year that suggests there’s something interesting going on up here again.
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