There’s no denying that The Soundcarriers bring distinct elements of the 1960s into their sound. To adapt the title of Jon Savage’s excellent book about the period, they reflect the time when the decade exploded. Through Other Reflections is a cosmopolitan collection full of sublime chamber pop melodies, coupled with numerous esoteric influences such as tropicalia, psychedelic jazz/funk from the Middle East and French library sounds. They represent what psychedelia should sound like: thoroughly mind-expanding and without a hint of the turgid riffs and drawn-out guitar solos of some of the genre’s representatives.
The first bars of “City Was” convey the reassuring feeling that everything is in its place: expanding organs, buzzing guitars, Adam Cann’s economical drums and the hyper-cool melodies of singers Leonore Wheatley and Dorian Conway. It suggests a continuity with its predecessor, 2022’s “Wilds”. In the following ten tracks, however, the album expands in different directions, such as “Always”, which opens a different door with its hazy melodies, detuned guitars, French organ and swirling flutes.
‘Comet 4’ features flamboyant percussion and sci-fi bossa nova harmonies, the vocals are soothing while the organ repeats urgently. It would fit well on the soundtrack of a dystopian film. ‘Behind The Fire’ clearly contains elements of Broadcast (probably their closest musical contemporary in giving ’60s style a contemporary spin) with its smoldering organs, glorious harmonies and echoing drums. ‘Feel The Way’ starts out quite experimental, ringing and atonal before soothing vocals come in, almost distracting from some tense and flamboyant strumming patterns, screeching clarinets and dub-like echoes. This segues straight into ‘Sonya’s Lament’, a short instrumental piece that has the word ‘cinematic’ stamped throughout, though it is clearly of the nature of a late-night oddity.
With their “ooh ooh oohs”, The Soundcarriers are firmly back in pop territory with “Already Over”. There is an almost ecstatic thrill in the harmonies, garage guitars and organs. “What We Found” has a brilliant change when the harmonies of the chorus come in, closely followed by flutes.
The album has a political tone that suggests a desire to escape the harsh reality and go to something more idyllic, even in a city landscape. This is most evident on “With Us For Now” and its lines: “You just live off this land / suck the blood while you can“show a disdain for contemporary neoliberal morality or lack thereof, the beauty of the harmonies delivered through gritted teeth while the organ could be auditioning to play the theme tune from ‘Tales of the Unexpected.’ As I write this review, my notes are full of references to stunning melodies, and they show no signs of letting up until the tenth track, ‘Wider Arcs,’ whose harmonies are like a refreshing cold drink on a hot summer day. The final track, ‘The Return,’ doesn’t let up in its detail, offering a cluster-like experimental atmosphere combined with fluttering flutes, organs, enchanting vocals and percussive flourishes.
In “Through Other Reflections” The Soundcarriers employ a colorful palette of rich and dynamic instrumentation, a keen sense of light and shadow, all driven by some complex rhythmic patterns. It all makes for an exciting combination.
The Soundcarriers: Through Other Reflections – Released August 16, 2024 (Phosphonic)
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I was editor of the long-running fanzine Plane Truth and subsequently wrote for a number of publications. While the zine was known for promoting the edgiest of independent sounds, performing with a samba percussion band over the past few years helped me broaden my tastes, so in 2021 I’m much more likely to celebrate an eclectic mix of sounds and get excited about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
