For those fearing a big stylistic shift now that Peel Dream Magazine are on a label which is not Slumberland Records, you will be glad to hear that the new record from the band is full of familiar charms. Rose Main Reading Room is a delightful listen, and one which veers towards the High Llamas side of the spectrum more than earlier releases did Stereolab. That's the gist of it. And that's a good thing, of course.
Numbers like "R.I.P. (Running in Place)" and "Machine Repeating" find Joseph Stevens and his band-mates entering an atmosphere where breathy pop rules. Tunes owe as much to Sixties cocktail pop as they do to Nineties indie, though there's snatches of both here. Contributions from band members Olivia Bubaka Black, Ian Gibbs, Lu Coy, and Lina Tullgren give these tracks a modest, though robust, reach, such that we can hear Stevens stretching the concepts he's after here. And he's successful most of the time.
Extremely listenable, and quietly adventurous, Rose Main Reading Room takes the earlier offerings from Peel Dream Magazine and presents a refined vision of the music therein. Things are precise here, with the frills of dream-pop tempered by a Van Dyke Parks-like focus. Resolutely pitched, these are selections which seem so pristine that they're nearly like songs from era peers The Clientele. Call it chamber pop if you want, but the hints here or a more spacious and space-y music are what make this such a fun listen.
Rose Main Reading Room by Peel Dream Magazine is out now via Topshelf Records. Details below.
[Photo: Vice Cooler]