A Sunny Day in Glasgow – Sea
When Absent
Lefse Records, 2014
Fewer things are satisfying than falling head over heels in
love with a band upon the release of their fourth
album. It means there are three more records to devour and an opportunity to
trace the band’s evolution from their humble beginnings to the moment they blew
your mind. A Sunny Day in Glasgow craft a weird and wonderful alchemical pop
music. It’s like electro pop, but the electronics and synthesizers are muted,
distorted and subdued to a point where they feel totally organic. They feel
like a ripe, fuzzy peach, buoyed by the sweet, often tandem, vocals of Annie
Fredrickson and Jen Goma, with the guitars occasionally slicing through and
adding both a sense of grandness to these humble bedroom pop arrangements.
Despite the group’s American roots, their sweet, hazy pop songs
recall a gentler My Bloody Valentine and feel like an evolved version of the
Sarah Records bands of yesteryear. Though the songs aim for the ethereal, they
always feel personal. The songs are so intimate that it seems like a bit of
trickery that there wasn’t a time during Sea
When Absent’s recording when the whole band was together in the same room.
But then again, the modern world excels at keeping us connected to each other
even when we are far apart, and this album feels like a testament to technology’s
double-edged sword. It’s a great record to put on, sit back, and soak up.
"In Love With Useless"
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