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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Tokyo Glasgow |
| 2. Two Sunsets |
| 3. Song For A Friend |
| 4. Vivid Youth |
| 5. Yomigaeru |
| 6. Modesty Piece |
| 7. About You |
| 8. Boats |
| 9. Hikoki |
| 10. Sodane |
| 11. Mou Mou Rainbow |
| 12. Start Slowly So We Sound Like A Loch |
Product Description
Review
Since 1997’s Illumination however, Pastels mainstays Stephen McRobbie and Katrina Mitchell have released only one true album of new material – the largely instrumental, subdued soundtrack to 2002 film The Last Great Wilderness – concentrating instead on developing their label Geographic. The imprint is a haven for alternative Japanese bands, and paved the way to this team-up with Tokyo duo Tenniscoats.
It’s a seamless match. Tenniscoats are devotees of the sort of twee chamber pop exemplified by Belle and Sebastian, natural Glaswegian descendants of The Pastels, and bring airy woodwind and singer Saya’s breathy vocals to an already gossamer-light mix.
Oddly, opener Tokyo Glasgow picks up where The Last Great Wilderness left off, painting wistful, instrumental pictures, but Two Sunsets itself sets the tone for the rest of the record, Saya cooing shyly as a distant harmonica weaves a poignant melody. It’s a motif largely repeated on Song for a Friend, notwithstanding a rare appearance on the microphone from McRobbie.
The pace of the album is restful, the mood pensive. Exceptions are McRobbie’s mild power-pop take on The Jesus and Mary Chain’s 1987 slow-burner About You, which apes the West Coast warmth of Pastels pals Teenage Fanclub, and single Vivid Youth. The latter sees Pastels/Tenniscoats get their groove on for a change, Mitchell whispering over some woozy flute and Curtis Mayfield-style guitar fills.
Elsewhere, Sodane flirts with the indie dancefloor and throws in some polite handclaps while Boats shimmers with the lo-fi warmth of Mazzy Star - but these are just moments from the general drift.
In the end, much of Two Sunsets recalls the trimmings of a Saint Etienne album: nostalgic, calm meanderings that sound awfully pretty while adding little to the sum of human existence. It’s charming enough on the whole, but never really offers a compelling reason for the collaboration. --Matthew Horton
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Customer Reviews
(Stephen McRobbie and Katrina Mitchell) join
forces with Japanese duo Tenniscoats (Saya and
Takashi Ueno) for a quiet collaboration;
a meeting of gentle minds.
This music is so static (in a perfectly pleasant way)
that it would be quite unlikely to create even the
smallest ripple on the surface of a summer pond.
There is more than enough music in the world to
make great waves so a little calm is always welcome.
'Two Sunsets' comprises twelve compositions, so light and
airy that they are in danger of floating off into the ether
while we are still listening and trying to grasp their meaning.
Guitar, bass, drums and a smattering of woodwind deliver
uber-relaxed soundscapes of almost childlike simplicity.
Much of this effect is down to the ethereally fragile voice
of Ms Ueno. It is a small instrument with the ability to
cast big spells. She is a truly magical presence.
Coming in at under two minutes the small but perfectly
formed 'Yomigaeru', with its faltering flute and slipping
and sliding vocal performance, is a perfect example of her
subtle but intoxicating art.
The country lilt of 'About You' came as a bit of a surprise.
Mr McRobbie sings it well. (Curiously I found myself
wondering what Lou Reed might have done with it!)
The glowing incidental harmonies are delightful.
Vocal duties on 'Song For A Friend' are shared between
Ms U and Mr McR. It is a wistful dialogue punctuated by
half-heard hamonica and a curiously angular guitar intervention.
'Boats' is a gorgeous dream-like composition decorated
with tinkling piano and a darker ground bass pattern which
floats under the main melody like a cloud reflected in a lake.
These guys really understand how to sustain a musical mood.
'Hokoki' is another delicate miniature which comes and goes in
what seems less than a moment. A feather caught in a breeze.
'Mou Mou Rainbow' is a more substantial piece which wraps
around like a warm blanket. Comfort music of the highest calibre.
The arrangement has an elegance not unlike some of the richer
early material of Procol Harum crossed with an elusive kind of
1960's French pop ambience.
Final track 'Start Slowly So We Sound Like A Loch' gets my
vote for left-of-centre song title of the year so far.
It is also a wonderfully melancholic melody with which to
bring this highly accomplished and enjoyable album to a close.
Two Sunsets + Four gentle folk = Pure enchantment.
Highly Recommended.
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