• Reviews

• All
• Music
• DVDs
• Live
• Cinema
• TV
• Books
• Comic Books
• Video Games

Apr 04, 2024 Web Exclusive By Andy Von Pip

Anglo-American duo Still Corners return with their sixth album, Dream Talk, a 10-track exploration of ethereal dream pop soundscapes. While staying true to their signature sound, the duo do inject subtle elements of experimentation into proceedings, which makes Dream Talk a slightly different experience than their previous work.

As ever, Still Corners take the listener on an immersive journey that transitions from the melancholic “Today is the Day” (channelling a blend of Dusty Springfield and Lana Del Rey) to the vibrant energy of “The Dream,” the album’s most propulsive moment. The subtle, understated beauty of the glorious “Faded Love” is classic Still Corners, while the lead single, “Secret World,” which explores the complexity of obsession, alongside “Let’s Make Up,” embraces a subtle dub undercurrent.

Tessa Murray’s captivating vocals glide across a variety of beautifully crafted soundscapes inspired by her own nocturnal musings and fragmented dreams. The album is imbued with a serene, hypnotic, hypnagogic quality, as the lines between reality and dreaming blur. Tracks such as “Turquoise Moon” and “Crystal Blue” see the duo embrace their penchant for Lynchian film noir atmospherics once more, and Greg Hughes’ production certainly adds a glow of iridescent moonlit brilliance. While lacking the immediate hooks of previous albums, this is an album best experienced as a whole, to add context to the listening experience rather than one to dip in and out of. (www.stillcorners.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10