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ANDALUSIA: Such A Heavenly Eyesore CD
Now this is genius.....no word of a lie. From one of the hottest new bands I've discovered in recent times comes their first full-length album and it is simply brilliant from start to finish. Ten tracks, nearly fifty minutes, guitars, bass and drums, three featuring vocals from female/male duet, and some of the finest tracks around. Musically we're talking big open canvases of epic proportions as the gorgeous full-sounding guitars stretch from horizon to horizon, all quite languid yet amazingly powerful at the same time, very much in the vein of classic Cocteau Twins only less edgy, more flowing, much more textural presence, deeper resonance, a superbly fluid yet tight rhythm section, almost a guitar orchestra at times and a full-to-overflowing sound that is just heavenly, exactly as it says on the packet, but certainly no eyesore, for this is bliss incarnate. The vocal tracks have the vocals largely buried in the mix to become another instrumental texture, here the Cocteau comparisons becoming even more apparent. There are also elements of early King Black Acid, hints of the vast Mellonova guitar canvas but with spirit, strength, energy and dynamics, building tracks quickly into pieces where the guitars shine out from the background textures that cover the musical spaces so superbly. In the area that many commentators describe as 'shoegazing' and as fashionable as similar things on current labels such as Kranky and Constellation, this is a tour-de-force of musical excellence. The penultimate track alone uses dynamics and layers to go from melodic bliss to a sonic cauldron of mighty proportions as guitars, bass and drums go effortlessly into orbit and explode into space. Overall, one of the most played albums in my possession right now, and I strongly urge you to repeat the experience.
ANDALUSIA: This Is Noplace CDEP
Where it all started - the ultra limited three-tracker - featuring the band's red hot brew of swirling, flowing, floating, drifting, solid, textural and breathtakingly delivered instrumental music as the trio of guitars, bass and drums create a magical musical world that is so vast and yet so perfect, intense yet fragile, fuzzed yet crystalline, the guitar layers, for they are more layers than leads, almost electronic in a sense, climbing ever higher, travelling slowly forward, all anchored and supported by the oh-so fluid rhythm section, the melodic content shining out of the shoegazing soup. Each track is nothing short of jaw-dropping in its almost guitar orchestra-like textures, and this is one to get before you miss out and live to regret it, but get the album first.
