The morose, yet oddly tuneful rock of Oliver Future suggests that the band's been listening to a lot of Pink Floyd, yet would rather have the melodies of solo George Harrison. The group's new record, A Year at Home, is out on Friday, and, thanks to production by the legendary Adam Lasus, it's a winner.
Opener "Phases of the Moon" is slinky and enveloping, that whole Harrison thing drawing us in, while "The Great Cojunction" is more elegant still. For those who remember U.K. band Pelvis, that's what this sounds like to me. Of course, Oliver Future are not as interested in creating anything quite as sharp. This band is more invested in the textures, and moods of the stuff they are putting out. As such, lots of A Year at Home retains a Nineties charm about it. There's lots here that will please anyone who followed acts like I Am Kloot, for instance, even as the riffs and hooks suggest something more direct and earnest. This is an oddly compelling record, partly due to a listener not being able to quite pin down where one's heard a bit or riff before. And, in "All We've Lost", it's got one of the best songs I've heard this year so far.
A Year at Home is out on Friday.