The Mary Onettes
Portico:
Labrador
Apr 23, 2014 Web Exclusive
It has been only a year since The Mary Onettes released its last album, Hit the Waves, and the Swedish four-piece is back with the brand new mini-album, Portico:. More concise than Hit the Waves, Portico:‘s seven tracks are a perfect summation of how this band has just gotten better over the course of its four albums. From oscillating synth textures that wash over you on the album’s first track, “Silence Is a Gun,” to the spare guitar and ethereal backdrop, with extended intro, on “Bells for Stranger,” the band has become expert at setting The Cure-like aural scenes for its songs. Frontman Philip Ekström remains as dour and melancholic as ever, and the theme here seems to be silence, from the aforementioned song title to lyrics finding Ekström yearning to be “in the silence of your dreams” or intoning, “There’s a silence in your eyes.” He still knows how to write a brilliant pop song, found here in the sparkling synth and chiming guitar piece “Naïve Dream.” Yet while most of Portico: is understated and atmospheric, there’s a beauty in the drama, culminating with the lush instrumental closer (with spoken word snippets) “Portico: 2014.” Ekström has stated a hope that this album may start a trend of more frequent releases, and judging by Portico:, that would be exceedingly welcome. (www.themaryonettes.net)
Author rating: 7.5/10
Average reader rating: 9/10
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July 4th 2014
3:49am
Thanks for sharing I love the Labrador