Moonflowers by New York-based Constant Smiles was written while the band were “moving through the liminal landscapes” on a European tour. The first track, ‘Introduction (Song For Geoff)’, could be the sound of twilight in Niemandsland. It could also be described as an orchestra warming up, a Godspeed You! Black Emperor lull, or an Automatic For The People outtake. So far, so very promising.
Since 2009, band founder Ben Jones has worked with a series of musical partners in a range of genres, including ‘icy coldwave-adjacent synth-pop’. The new album is bracketed as ‘ambient pop’. The beginning of ‘Leave It at Why’ sounds very close to ‘Parallel Lines’ by Kings of Convenience’, and the rest of the track mooches along like the understated star of a 90s mumblecore film wincing at life. ‘Allowed to Be’ prolongs the mood – an impression enhanced by a video that has strong hints of Jim Jarmusch and Miranda July.
Things brighten up on ‘Everything Is Personal’. Nora Knight’s drums are very much in the foreground, and her vocals give the already-joyous chorus an extra lift. If you liked Kit-Cat by Casper Skulls as much as I did, you’ll love this. Knight sings lead on the dreamy chamber pop track ‘Harriman’ – its gentle piano and sax rendering it a sort of subdued Springsteen. “It’s the simple outcome that’s best,” Jones sings on the ‘In Place of Time’ chorus – well, that’s what I’m hearing. Jones’ soft vocals seem apt for songs about simplicity and contentment. “It’s getting better every day,” he sings on next track ‘When You’re Gone’ – its arpeggios cascading like summer rain and sounding not too dissimilar to Elbow’s ‘Scattered Black and Whites’.
‘Run Out on Life’ chugs along like a steam train through an Ohio plain and culminates in a wash of angels passing by. ‘I Know Your Name’ begins like Eels at their most maudlin and unfurls into a triumphant recognition of nomenclature. A piano line, violin, and Knight’s vocal elevate the track and place it firmly in sumptuousness territory. Cassandra Jenkins supplies breathy vocals on final track ‘Time Measured in Moonflowers’, which has the same joy of Nick Drake at his least depressing – think ‘Northern Sky’ or ‘One Of These Things First’ – and ends in an Eno haze.
Is Moonflowers really ‘ambient pop’? It certainly creates an atmosphere – one that is probably best summed up by the video for ‘Time Measured in Moonflowers’ (below). If peering into streams, focussing on flowers, and walking a path just because it’s there are enjoyable pastimes for you, add listening to Moonflowers to your list.
Moonflowers is out now via Felte
Constant Smiles: Bandcamp | Instagram | YouTube
Review by Neil Laurenson
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