On their first two albums, Russia's
Pinkshinyultrablast
constructed an intense, overdriven form of shoegaze that sometimes veered into prog-rock complexity without sounding overindulgent. The follow-up to 2016's phenomenal
Grandfeathered
is a sharp turn into a more pop-influenced direction, dialing down the guitar noise and embracing glossy yet airy synths and breezy drum-machine tempos. The results sound a bit as if
Stereolab
went through a phase of listening to nothing but
Yellow Magic Orchestra
and the most energetic '80s new wave. Tracks like opener "Dance AM" feature brisk, racing beats, rainbow-sprinkle synth melodies, and sighing vocals, sounding effortlessly fun but also slightly blue. Like many songs on the album, "Find Your Saint" is lush and overwhelmingly beautiful, riding sparkling, frosty synths and hitting an energy spike near its conclusion. "Eray" is a bit artier and more oblong, but still awestruck, and surging with guitar firepower toward the end. The group takes a breather with two ambient interludes. The darker "Blue Hour" sounds like the breath of a ghost, while "Earth and Elsewhere" is far lighter and more optimistic. The group returns to upbeat pop with tricky arrangements for the remainder of the album, with dips into expressions of bittersweet longing. Final number "Looming" starts out with a heavier guitar crunch than the rest of the album, but this aural thunderstorm is broken up by shafts of light and subtly twisted time signatures. Just as the group's first two albums fit into the shoegaze revival category without coming close to playing by the rules,
Miserable Miracles
demonstrates
's truly unique approach to making pop music, which is equally as exciting and refreshing. ~ Paul Simpson