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| Virgin Passages are from Staffordshire. But they sound like they’re from space. |
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Scientists, no need for further research and hypothesising! This is what music written by space creatures would sound like.
Not “Kill All Humans” space men (and one woman), but the “We Come In Peace” aliens from your average New Age hippy’s fantasies. I want to say that the music is 'airy' but that stuff doesn’t exist out in the cosmos, so I’m going with 'weightless', which is a far better description of the trippy, ethereal folk music this trio produce.
Mandalay's tone swirls and meanders from track to track (and indeed within the tracks themselves), ranging from dirge-like offerings such as ‘Like Dogs’ to beautifully crafted snippets of post-rock (‘I Want You To Sleep’, ‘Hate Hate Hate’), worthy of Sigur Ros’ or Mogwai’s more vocal efforts. Other moments are reminiscent of The Beta Band and Ooberman at their most subtle and they even offer evidence they can write a cracking laid-back pop song with ‘Home Is Where You’re Happy’.
The fact I’m reviewing this release under the ‘album’ heading is actually slightly misleading. The band is at pains to point out that Mandalay is merely a collection of past EPs and demos rather than a debut full length offering.
And the few negative aspects of Mandalay display the telling signs of a band in its youth. Songs sometimes appear to have been drawn out past their natural conclusion, resulting in a degree of monotony and a seeming lack of direction. As well as this, the discordancies of some tracks, although intentional, are grating and unnecessary from a band so clearly capable of a much more refined beauty.
For a collection of odds and ends that weren’t intended to be placed side by side, Mandalay is an excellent achievement. If Virgin Passages are capable of building on this in their forthcoming debut full-length release, they will definitely be a band to follow with interest in the future. |
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| James Haddrill - 7/10 |
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