⇓■⇓ „Věřte instinktu a zkušenostem: nejlepším nástrojům“..., jako by si řekli v Pennsylvánii, zejména členové bandu Cheerleader. Album „Almost Forever“ téměř nevzniklo. Ovšem druhé album Cheerleader přišlo pět let po debutu „The Sunshine of Your Youth“ a přistihlo skupinu znovuobjevenou a omlazenou. Frontman Joe Haller, k němuž se připojili Paul Impellizeri, Joshua Pannepacker a Sean Donaghy, úzce spolupracovali s Chrisem Coadym (Beach House, Future Islands) na každém kroku, nahrávali a míchali v Panoramic Studio Stinson Beach v Kalifornii a Sunset Sound v Los Angeles. Kapela představila svůj nový materiál v létě roku 2019 prvním singlem „Bang, Bang“. The Line of Best Fit ho nazval „hypnotic“ a „jednou z nejpůsobivějších indie~rockových skladeb roku“. Od svého vzniku v roce 2014 získal band Cheerleader podporu několika musicshopů a navíc NME je umístilo mezi 10 nejlepších aktů. KCRW chválí jejich “svět dobývající optimismus.” Mezi singly z jejich nejnovějšího alba patří „Bang, Bang“, „Chimera“, „Everyone’s Wearing Skin“ a „Things We Regret.“
⇓■⇓ Dreamy psychedelic pop from a Philadelphia group led by songwriter Joe Haller.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Styles: Alternative/Indie Rock, Neo~Psychedelia, New Wave/Post~Punk Revival
Album release: February 7, 2020
Record Label: Bright Antenna
Duration: 42:42
Tracks:
01 Flight Tonight 4:25
02 Domestica 3:53
03 Everyone’s Wearing Skin 3:55
04 Non~Stop Flight 3:25
05 Chimera 4:11
06 Back On Board 3:18
07 Bang Bang 3:53
08 Things We Regret 4:09
09 Providence 3:13
10 Who Knows When 4:34
11 All That’s Left 3:46
Members: Joe Haller, Paul Impellizeri, Josh Pannepacker
AllMusic Review by Marcy Donelson; Score: ★★★½
♠ Following touring in support of a 2015 debut album that blended the hazy textures of dream pop with a buoyant, anthemic pop, Philadelphia’s Cheerleader went on an indefinite hiatus. Founding member Chris Duran parted ways with the group, and though bandleader Joe Haller began writing songs again in time, he did so for himself without any intention of them serving Cheerleader. However, he eventually did present some of the darker, more reflective material to bandmates, who ultimately embraced the not~so~subtle tonal shift. Recorded with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, Foals), the resulting Almost Forever is a spaced~out, psychedelic outing that still puts a premium on glistening atmospheres but moves them into a more introspective setting. Beginning with a crash and a wistful verse involving pretending, altered states, and dreams, „Flight Tonight“ sets the stage with a Lennon~esque melancholia and trippy soundscape built from ringing guitars, vintage synth and organ timbres, and fluttery effects. Its restrained melody and floaty feel are soon contrasted by the livelier „Domestica,“ which continues to reside in fluid, echoing atmospheres. Elsewhere, „Non~Stop Flight“ ventures into bass~driven post~punk, „Chimera“ buries vocals in effects amidst a swirl of Cure~like synth rhapsody, and „Things We Regret“ approaches a more~refined ‘80s pop, if one that maintains reflective surfaces. Sharing some of the opener’s ghostly noise effects, closer „All That’s Left“ bookends the album with another spacy narrative concerned with dreaming and regret, though it seems to drop off listeners at a station somewhere in space, far removed from the opener’s airport. Along the way, catchy entries like „Everyone’s Wearing Skin“ and „Providence“ provide lasting mementos from the journey. ♠
FB: https://www.facebook.com/chrleader/
Website: https://chrleader.com/
Label: http://www.brightantenna.com/