review

Cokemachineglow

More relaxing oblivion from Type, this time via polite instruments instead of fridge-buzz recorded in the underworld. Even pioneers appreciate kittens, it seems, and Rameses III certainly mark a more strokable addendum to John Twells' family, a green shoot in the brilliant rubble of his catalogue. The sunshine they churn harks back to, say, 2004, when Twells himself was still a green shoot, cooing his followers with the serene Tangled Wool before he went all Darth Vader and started rasping. Deep breaths equal heightened imagination, though, and in signing Rameses III he's curiously adopted teenagers rather than newborns (the Ram have been jamming for six years plus). Sometimes it works—sometimes you get Damien: Omen II (1978).

With Rameses III, it definitely works. The British trio (duh) take the deep blue slot on Type's rainbow of robe-wearers, ready to enter with the blurry delight of their upcoming I Could Not Love You More LP (this from the label that a year ago gave us Hades converted to static: In Bocca Al Lupo). For every 0 there's a 1, it seems, and "The Kindness in Letting Go" is an expansion of a seemingly comatose guitar line, electric drips spilling from the amp. The simple riff then spreads into an elegant, tear-jerking dirge that calmly grinds itself to death and beyond. It's euphoria laced with a tragic twist just perfect for slow moments with your partner. No partner? No problem: the washed-out fug of the closing half might actually ignite rows anyway, absorbing traces of the Xela sound (which has the power to dissolve relationships ... and ceiling plaster). On the whole, though, this piece from Rameses III is the antidote to that, and gives everyone a moment of sleepy introspection in which to try to apply the title to themselves (no lyrics—duh again).


Tuesday 22 September 2009