Romantica is a magnificently crafted guitar pop record. With hardly a lacklustre tune in sight, the band stick strongly to their roots, which in this case means elements of Eels and mainstream Beck. There are also signs of a British musical upbringing here too: opener Lovedust harks back to the jangly pop of The Las whilst you can’t help but be reminded of Britpop’s heyday on Weird And Woozy, a strong tune with a chorus that Damon Albarn would surely have been proud to have penned.
The synthetic guitars on Black Postcards are an ode to glorious summer days in a place where Brian Wilson might meet Babybird. It’s followed by the liveliness of Black Champagne, an American folk-meets-Britpop number that mixes Neil Young influences with a string-laden backing.
The LP’s second half kicks off with Mermaid Eyes, which is probably the best tune on offer here. A raw guitar sound starts off a memorable tune that mixes keyboards and a vocal duet and even flirts with electropop production towards the end.
1995 is a lot more raucous, a pop-punk anthem that boasts both grit and energy, while Dizzy is classic country-tinged pop, acoustic guitars rising above the general janglyness that is only let down by weak lyrics and vocals.
Perhaps a little typically, the album closes with a slow ballad. The title track differs little from the rest of the album in its easy going American folk attitude. The verse is mostly spoken, which soon gives way to a strong chorus. It’s one of the album’s high points.
Romantica is great pop record, if little else. It might not signify a musical rebirth of any kind but its memorable songs have a certain charm and class all of their own.
And while this album doesn’t tell you much, it’s hard to beat its feel-good factor. Rather than being an album to lift you from the depths of sorrow, this is more of a grower that boasts about love and the beauty of life. Which is a good thing.
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