The Legendary Pink Dots
"Plutonium Blonde" CD
ROIR USA
Genre: experimental pop,
electronic, goth
Netherlands
Oct 7 2008 |
Weird and whimsical, but surprisingly accessible for an
Legendary Pink Dots album,
Plutonium Blonde is an interesting artefact from the realms of
experimental pop. Hot on the heels of their 2006 25th-anniversary
album, Your Children Placate You from Shallow Graves,
this is the latest chapter in the band's dark and sinister
legacy. Edward Ka-Spel and friends have crafted a marvellously
unique record here. The fun starts with hypnotic "Torchsong," a
brooding slab of gothic experimental "pop." It is a strange and
unsettling opener that deserves to be played at high volume. But it is
merely an appetizer for the nine minute epic that follows; "Rainbows
Too?" is an atmospheric synth-pop song reminiscent of Avalon-era
Roxy Music and early Japan – but
unquestionably more haunting. It
retains LPD's trademark touch of evil, but matches it with a
distinct melodic sensibility.
On the less expected end of things, Plutonium Blonde also
features a couple of psychedelic folk nuggets in "A World with No
Mirrors" and "Faded Photograph." The former is a flute-laced, almost
bucolic pop gem straight out of a sixties sit-in, while the latter is
more hauntingly atmospheric but still remarkably melodic. Meanwhile,
eerie "An Arm and A Leg," with its ominous narrator, sounds like
something off one of Chris Morris' Blue Jam sessions,
and "Ocean's Blue" is a marvellously Satanic mood-setter from deep
below the Earth's surface.
Plutonium Blonde isn't necessarily for everyone, but it is
an excellent starting point for those curious about LPD's
recent outings. Atmospheric and suggestively evil, this music
will be best enjoyed in a dark, empty
mansion, blaring through marble hallways and carpeted ballrooms.
Failing that, a nice set of headphones and perhaps a hallucinogen will
do.
LPD's myspace
86%
youuuuuuuutube!:
"rainbows too?" video
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by
the
label,
released Oct. 7, 2008] |