Having spent time in Electrelane and Wire, the members of Memorials have a unique set of skills. After creating distinctive music elsewhere, they've combined their powers to make it in Memorials. And the duo's new album, All Clouds Bring Not Rain, is out now via Fire Records.
There's more than a hint of Broadcast in fine numbers like "Watching the Moon" as well as some early Stereolab-y vibes in "I Can't See a Rainbow", another more languid gem. "Life Could Be a Cloud", a highlight here, mixes styles and tempos in one song, while "Cut Glass Hammer" purrs with the promise of Krautrock rhythms.
Matthew Sims (Wire) and Verity Susman (Electrelane) work well together, and while there's not so much here reminiscent of Wire, there's a bunch that fits with what Verity did in Electrelane years ago. So, yeah, there's a certain familiarity in the grooves on Clouds Bring Not Rain, but that's okay when the results are listenable. Memorials make this stuff seem fresh again, and a listener could be forgiven for reminiscing about hearing Stereolab or Broadcast for the first time. Memorials aren't those bands, but they get close enough here that this is a recommended record for sure.
All Clouds Bring Not Rain by Memorials is out now via Fire Records.
[Photo: Bandcamp]