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Feb 03, 2017 Issue # 59 - 15th Anniversary By Cody Ray Shafer

Mauro Remiddi releases his gorgeous indie dream pop under the moniker Porcelain Raft, and once you hear his glasslike voice move its way through the foggy surface of his music the name sounds perfectly inspired. With his latest release, Remiddi takes Porcelain Raft into deeper waters, and thus Microclimate is more stunning than his last record, 2013’s Permanent Daylight, but further still from his 2012 debut, Strange Weekend.

Is that really so bad, though? Strange Weekend is a comforting record that bleeds out warmth and imagination. It is beautiful, concise, but a little claustrophobic. Microclimate is surely Porcelain Raft’s attempt at moving away from that sound, exploring more complex arrangements and ideas and giving this record an illusion of sonic space. The tracks are more diverse in their atmosphere and approach, but never sound out of place or inconsistent. Merely unmemorable.

Microclimate deserves some credit for attempting new tricks and deepening Porcelain Raft’s sound. Deep isn’t quite the right word either, but there are definitely darker tones evenly placed throughout the record that add dimension. For instance, “Accelerating Curve” channels some chilly post-punk in Remiddi’s uncharacteristically dramatic voice. And while “Distant Shore” wouldn’t sound out of place on any ‘80s synth pop revival mixtape, tracks like “Rising” and “The Greatest View” are more avant garde and ambitious. But even though there is plenty to love about this record, it is unlikely to inspire a whole lot of devotion. (www.porcelainraft.com)

Author rating: 6/10