It is fair to say that I tend to leave the Dream Pop, Indie Pop and gentler Jangle Pop to my great great friend Darrin at Janglepophub. It isn't that I don't like the genres, I bloody well do, but there's so much to go at here and Mr Lee is a much better commenter on that scene.
However, The Proctors travel beyond that area. Formed in the 90s in the West Midlands, a region not noted for this type of gentleness with it coming generally more from the North upwards. They take a hold of Jangle Pop and spread it further afield.
There will be obvious pointers to C86 from other reviews I'm sure and they are valid at times, but The Procters are much more pastoral. Yes they do gentle, but the arrangements take them much further afield than just plugging in and jangling.
They are not afraid of a surprising Guitar solo and add greater harmony than many of their ilk. The word to describe the album is effectively beautiful, a mood that takes you away into a land where all is well, no one has a care in the world and no one ever falls out with each other.
But there are also times when the band venture into other areas. An ability to sound like a Lightning Seeds, Aztec Camera or Lilac Time. If they were solely Jangle, which do incredibly well in all areas, they may be as predictable as others, there's not a bit of that.
At their best when they do let loose a bit, but they are never gonna rock your socks off, there is a fragileness on the slower numbers. They do sound a little like Wild Swans at times, but more consistent. This album restores faith in the wonder of the pop song. Wonderful!
You can listen to and buy the album here. You may be lucky enough to still be able to grab a Vinyl or CD version too.
.............
Dream-pop...cheeky git. Ha Ha!
ReplyDelete