Album Review

If youre old enough to remember bands like Curve, Lush and Mercury Rev, youll be familiar with the expression, dream-pop. Whilst it might serve to be a lazy 90s term used to describe sad-face indie-music comprised of angelic voices, sparkly guitar riffs and atmospheric melancholia augmented by whooshing synths and the barest amount of self-indulgence, Frankie Rose, now minus her Outs suffix, embraces many of the aforementioned components for this, her sophomore follow-up to her 2010 debut.

Interstellar is as apt a title as you could get for the spacey little anthems contained within, all topped off with a sprinkling of cosmic moondust that wouldnt sound amiss on a Saint Etienne single or Rose-Elinor Dougals last album. Vocally, Rose is similar to Sarah Cracknell and Dougal, but musically pitched in the 90s.

Her advancement from last years debut full-length foray is noticeable from the moment that the first track, also titled Interstellar, drifts into earshot with its pretty cinematic melody, before charging onwards like an untethered racehorse. The gorgeous Pair of Wings and The Fall tread in similar subtle territories, all multi-layered choral vocals and unfussy arrangements, while possible singles Gospel/Grace and Had We Had It exude a more vibrant personality without wandering off into the field marked twee or monotone.

Where some of the songs fall down is clear one or two seem unfinished and all too short (the album itself barely scrape 32 minutes in length) and others such as Night Swim and Moon in my Mind lack a bit of conviction, but overall, Frankie Rose has pieced together an intergalactic and imaginative take on the tried and trusted. A worthy addition to Memphis Industries already heady roster and a promising live act (on tour during July 2012).