Review Summary: (at the post office) one rock please
If the genre of post rock is a spectrum that ranges from prog to gaze, Molly slots in nicely at the correct end. Almost four years after the Austrian Alpine duo drifted onto the scene with the wonderful
All That Ever Could Have Been, a record as breezy and calming as its cover art, the brand new
Picturesque has arrived for another dose of spaced-out gazed-out prettiness.
However, the opening seconds of 'Ballerina' hint at something different altogether. Playing out as a Klimt 1918-lite take on mildly ethereal alt rock, the song feels like an unnecessary change in direction for the band. While it's not bad, the vocals are a fair bit too high in the mix, and for a band whose strengths lie in subtleties… starting a post rock record with the lyric 'fade' isn't all that, you know, subtle. Thankfully, the 12-minute epic 'Metamorphosis' dives straight back into blissful Hammock-isms after, yep, metamorphos- transitioning away from this good-not-great new approach of heightened accessibility. Its guitars shimmer, its melodies linger: it is a perfect encapsulation of the thoughtful beauty the band can achieve with relatively little.
Thankfully, most of
Picturesque follows suit in delivering the contemplative goods. Most notably, 'The Golden Age' strikes an endearing balance between the concrete and meandering. While vocals feature prominently, they slot in nicely with the fuzzily upbeat instrumentals and craft a wonderfully relaxing listening experience that swells with moments of clarity. Molly are at their very best when truly locking in on such moments and exploring them to their most ethereal limits. Even though
Picturesque limits itself by occasionally prioritising immediacy across its short runtime, it is a post-gaze record that, subtleties aside, evokes the beauty of the Austrian alps. Some would, dare I say it, go as far as describing the album as picturesque.
