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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Blushing, 4 Mar 2006
Somehow the sound of Bows' "Blush" is too earthy to be properly classified as dreampop. The stormy percussion and jazzy horns of the opening track set off the tone for a strange trip-hop experience -- mysterious and seductive, with the sense that you should wake up from this dream soon. It starts off quietly with the gently peculiar "Big Wings," followed by the muted concert hubbub of "Troy Polenta's Big Break" and the lurching, aching title track. Subdued female vocals, sputtery drumbeats and dreamy string arrangements line songs like "King Deluxe," the elegantly ominous "Speed Marina." Stuck in the middle is a wickedly funny little advertisement for the band, a touch of humor that grounds all of it. It would have been better if placed at the beginning or end, though. "Blush" comes across as a beautiful nightmare in the middle of a jazz club. Very sensuous and beautiful, but also surreal and disturbing. A feeling of unease runs all through the album, especially since the songs tend to run into one another, shifting and changing like dreams do. The sound of the music is a mix of electronic beats, shimmers and soundscapes, layered smoothly with some very muted bass and solid percussion. The strings lift it up to the sky, and the jazzy horns pull it back down to earth. It's a surprisingly liquid sound, mixing gentle trip-hop with stormy underbeats. The vocals come from three people -- Ruth Emond, whose voice is very sweet and airy; Signe Heirup Wille Jergesen, whose voice is a little less ethereal in songs like "Sleepyhead"; and frontman Luke Sutherland, with a sort of quiet falsetto that he keeps low. The feeling they give off is quite sultry, a bit like psychedelic torch singers. "Blush" lives up to its name -- colorful and sweet. The lush instrumentation and dreamy vocals soften the uneasiness of Bows' debut, and make this a wonderful trip-hop album. Highly recommended.
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