Obey Your Brain
From the moment that I inserted The Thrush, the new album from Chicago-based, electro-pop outfit Chandeliers, into my car stereo I was indelibly hooked. It has been an age since I have encountered a record with such a mélange of influences and textures.
The opening cut “Mr. Electric” feels like an homage to Herbie Hancock’s landmark jazz fusion masterpiece Head Hunters with a splash of Daft Punk thrown in for good measure. Just when you think you might have your bearings, “Mr. Electric” delves into a symphonic soft textured B-section reminiscent of the finest cuts form Air’s Moon Safari or a 1970’s Brian Eno soundscape.
The Thrush continues with “Maldonado,” a brief sojourn into the sonic robot rock first uncovered on Jimpster’s 2002 album Domestic Science and brought to higher elevation here. “Mango Tree,” one of only two songs on the album featuring vocals, brings to mind the quirky and carefree feelings emoted by artists such as Band of Bees or German joystress Barbara Morgenstern.
Each track on The Thrush is more unique and exuberant than its predecessor with influences ranging form acid jazz to new wave to Aphex Twin. One of the factors that remained in my craw in a most positive way after hearing The Thrush was the innovative nature of Chandeliers’ drum patterns. Using a multitude of the usual sounds that one might hear on any number of rock or electronic records Chandeliers’ was able to combine these reverberations in a manner not yet heard. These beats endow The Thrush with a feeling of multiplicity rarely encountered on today’s electronic records.
The brilliance of The Thrush lies in its exquisite simplicity. The album repeatedly sets new boundaries and then proceeds to go outside said boundaries to take the listener on an aural mountain climbing expedition from which they will scarcely return. Throughout the era of modern music the best albums are often those that are the most simplistic and to this end The Thrush is no exception.
Review by Stephen Sousa
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