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Dec 11, 2013 Issue #48 - November/December 2013 - HAIM By Dan Lucas

Move in Spectrums is filled with the perfect, warm sounds ubiquitous in contemporary indie pop—the gorgeous “We Both Know” washes you away on a bubbling river of guitar—but there’s far more here than just another collection of likable-but-forgettable songs. There’s much that’s recognizable from 1980s Manchester: Joy Division’s post-punk drones and hisses on the likes of “Boiling Point”; the pulsating rhythms of “Somebody Who” harking back to The Fall. The band also throws in giddy Gallic Europop for good measure on “Just Like a Tree.”

Such diverse sounds melting into one another could result in a horrible mess in less expert hands, but Au Revoir Simone shows perfect judgment. The balance between lo-fi and polished melodies, between minimalism and hooks, should be tough to attain, but is perfect at every juncture. It’s a subtle album, one that will wrap the listener up and carry them off to the land of sleep. (www.aurevoirsimone.com)

Author rating: 8/10