By: Martyn Coppack
The Receiver | website | facebook | twitter |
Released on June 19, 2015 via Kscope
Two years in the making, The Receiver‘s new album, All Burn is also their first on Kscope records and once again that label has latched on to a band who are more than the sum of their parts seem to offer. Indeed, on first listen to this new album you wonder at what the thinking was as it slips by in its at times whimsical dream pop world. What would Kscope see in this band?
Then suddenly it sinks in. Just when you’re least expecting it you start to fall slowly in love with the sounds emanating from the speakers and you are caught in The Receiver’s world. Slowly reeled in, the band sink their sweetened hooks into you and then proceed to introduce you to the parts that Kscope obviously recognised so well.
It’s as the smoke unfurls from the dreamlike atmosphere of synths and vocals that you start to notice little glimpses such as the throbbing bass that creeps up on you, a sneaky little interlude on the keyboard which throws you off path, brief drops into a chasm of no sound before being thrust back into the miasmic swirl of dream world once again. It’s sumptuous yet dirty at the same time.
It’s at times like the soaring chorus for ‘To Battle An Island’ that your heart skips a beat and you just want to give your whole to the band. Almost orgasmic in delivery, there is no triteness or cloy-ness at hand which, given the state of the music, is no small miracle. It’s insular yet totally open and although at times you feel the cracks beginning to show in the vocals, this only adds to the human aspect behind all the machines.
Maybe that is what sets this album apart from a lot of synth driven dream pop. There is a warmth about the whole thing which helps it to cross genre boundaries and open itself up to a wider audience. Without compromising one iota of their music, they stay true to their principles and ideals yet also show an eagerness to embrace as many people as possible.
Working with Kscope may give the band an opportunity at reaching that wider audience although one feels that they may just slip under the radar. As great as the music is on here, there is slightly too much insularity which may make them a hard pill to swallow before prior listening. This will be a shame though as The Receiver have a lot to offer and those of you who latch on to All Burn will find a delightful little treat at hand.
