And Ever makes a mark as its lone, moody piano ushers in a two hand chord melody to dance with Alison Shaw's distant Ethereal voice. The music swells upon the arrival of a singular, lone and soft string synth. Reverberated acoustic guitar notes then pluck away in compliment with a brisk ascendancy. Another drum less track Cloudless has a touch of Medieval melody to it, as did Watersong. Just a minor musical note.
Adrift and Clear peer towards shadows, bot quite intensely as before, with upheavals of brooding distortion guitars soaked in echo. The later creates quite the maddening atmosphere with its bendy alarm siren droning in the backdrop, creating tension. The lead guitar riffs is quite a devious lick yet so simple as much of the components are like the flat bass line. Their ability to grasp so much power and feeling from the simple connections between each instrument is everything that makes these songs great.
The Dream Pop label still alludes me. There is little at play that reflects the quirk and upbeat nature of Pop music of the 90s. Not as dark, limbo is the word that comes to mind with Alison Shaw still playing innocence off the more sinister soundscapes of her band mates. Through her the dreaminess is all there though. Heavy use of reverb gives the mix a cold spacious feeling throughout and with a lavish of echo her singing ices the cake with an Ethereal quality. Forever is a fine endeavor but generally feels like a lighter exploration of the same musical ideas presented beforehand.
Rating: 6/10