Melting Palms - Noise Between the Shades (2022)
BAND/ARTIST: Melting Palms
- Title: Noise Between the Shades
- Year Of Release: 2022
- Label: La Pochette Surprise Records
- Genre: Dreampop, Post-Rock, Psychedelic, Shoegaze
- Quality: 320 / FLAC (tracks)
- Total Time: 54:28
- Total Size: 127 / 350 Mb
- WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist:
01. Withering Flowers (3:12)
02. Nova (5:10)
03. Cascades of Noise (3:07)
04. Ark (7:24)
05. Crimson Eye (3:52)
06. Tangerine (4:54)
07. Cocoon (3:18)
08. Nymph (4:42)
09. Orchard's Lie (4:04)
10. Sheela (4:51)
11. Cyclone (4:39)
12. Aurora (5:15)
01. Withering Flowers (3:12)
02. Nova (5:10)
03. Cascades of Noise (3:07)
04. Ark (7:24)
05. Crimson Eye (3:52)
06. Tangerine (4:54)
07. Cocoon (3:18)
08. Nymph (4:42)
09. Orchard's Lie (4:04)
10. Sheela (4:51)
11. Cyclone (4:39)
12. Aurora (5:15)
Hamburg-based quintet Melting Palms are back with their second album, Noise Between The Shades, and they are clearly out to stretch your sonic boundaries. With a stunning cascade of noise, emotion, and guitar-based music, this is an album which is ready to set your mind free and take you to places whereby maybe you had only dreamed of. Ian Corbridge is on hand for Louder Than War to take you through this ethereal journey.
Melting Palms formed as a trio in 2017 through a combination of musical and romantic entanglements. Mike Krumhorn (vocals, guitars), Teresa Koeberle (vocals, guitar, piano, synth) and Johann Wientjes (drums, sound design) found a space in the suburbs of Hamburg to rehearse and produce both an EP and their debut album, Abyss, which was released in 2020. Sowing the seeds for what was to come with a sound full of power, drama and deep intoxicating grooves, the band subsequently added to their lineup through the addition of Tim Dajan Thiele (guitar) and Lukas Schulz (bass).
As the band continued to rehearse and develop new songs, there is little doubt that this expanded lineup added greatly to their own unique blend of indie-rock, shoegaze, dreampop and psychedelia, the outcome now emerging through their second album, Noise Between The Shades. The cascade of noise, reverb and explosive power which now shines throughout this new body of work is truly a thing of beauty which can at times create a sense of emotional euphoria, and one which will allow you to escape into a whole new wonderful world if you allow it to. It’s a sound which echoes bands like Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and the Chameleons, all blended into one sonic melting pot of intense creative energy.
Withering Flowers opens the album with a huge wall of driving rhythm, reverb and cathartic melody as it dances along with the spirit of Ride towering over the amplifiers. As it celebrates a sense of community, it’s a rousing statement of intent which puts down a real marker for what is to follow. Nova slows it right back down again with its haunting and somewhat ethereal vocal promoting a sense of safety and security until it bursts into a huge climactic chorus line midway and towards the end of the song.
Cascades Of Noise raises the tempo back up again with its jangling beats, frantic drum patterns and anthemic chorus lines. With a focus on leaving the old behind and starting afresh along the right path, all wrapped up in its uplifting melody: this is nothing short of a summer anthem. Ark meanwhile moves strongly back into shoegaze territory with its guitar sound reminding me very much of one of my favourite bands to emerge from New York, Longwave. Complete with melancholy strings, it focuses more on supporting and protecting each other.
Crimson Eye is dominated by a metronomic drum pattern overlaid with crunching reverb-driven guitars and harmonic vocals which cast a self-reflecting eye, whilst the dreams and desires within Tangerine venture over the boundaries of intricate guitar pop with sweet and sensitive vocals sitting alongside the layers of sound. Cocoon follows on as what seems like a synth-driven instrumental which sounds almost like the peel of one hundred bells. It’s a sound that gradually envelops your mind and soul as it builds to a rousing crescendo, and I guess that’s why it was given the title Cocoon.
Nymph rocks out, albeit with big pop harmonic overtones and seems focused on turning the other cheek so that “no one can see darkest thoughts which bother me”. Orchard’s Lie has a real depth and soul with a sound which seamlessly blends shoegaze and dreampop through a story of hurt and deception. The underlying string arrangement gives it an even greater presence as if to be the very centrepiece of the album, which joins up all the dots.
Sheela has a full and dramatic sound as it seeks a new way forward whilst interspersed with moments of melancholy which suggest moments of reflection. As this fades, it leads into the more ethereal sounds of Cyclone, which focuses on self-protection from dangers which may be lurking, with the Nico-style vocals adding to the sense of drama in trying “to escape the storm to be safe”. The final word is left to Aurora, which is driven by a stirring bassline and harmonic vocals, overlaid with strong shimmering guitar breaks as it reflects on the breakdown of a relationship.
Through the album Noise Between The Shades, Melting Palms have created a maelstrom of mesmerising and hypnotic psychedelic soundscapes which can take you on a different journey every time you listen to it. With its often-ethereal feel, this is music to free your mind and take you to places maybe you had only dreamed of, whilst experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions along the way. There is a true sense of escapism embedded within these sonic grooves which I have rarely experienced before in this form.
There is a real sense of catharsis running through the songs in a bid to leave the old behind and focus on the path ahead. But this album also continues to recognise the challenges that such a path can create, inevitably with many setbacks along the way. But you only have to listen to this album once to realise it’s a path worth following and I can only encourage you to join in on this magnificent journey.
Melting Palms formed as a trio in 2017 through a combination of musical and romantic entanglements. Mike Krumhorn (vocals, guitars), Teresa Koeberle (vocals, guitar, piano, synth) and Johann Wientjes (drums, sound design) found a space in the suburbs of Hamburg to rehearse and produce both an EP and their debut album, Abyss, which was released in 2020. Sowing the seeds for what was to come with a sound full of power, drama and deep intoxicating grooves, the band subsequently added to their lineup through the addition of Tim Dajan Thiele (guitar) and Lukas Schulz (bass).
As the band continued to rehearse and develop new songs, there is little doubt that this expanded lineup added greatly to their own unique blend of indie-rock, shoegaze, dreampop and psychedelia, the outcome now emerging through their second album, Noise Between The Shades. The cascade of noise, reverb and explosive power which now shines throughout this new body of work is truly a thing of beauty which can at times create a sense of emotional euphoria, and one which will allow you to escape into a whole new wonderful world if you allow it to. It’s a sound which echoes bands like Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and the Chameleons, all blended into one sonic melting pot of intense creative energy.
Withering Flowers opens the album with a huge wall of driving rhythm, reverb and cathartic melody as it dances along with the spirit of Ride towering over the amplifiers. As it celebrates a sense of community, it’s a rousing statement of intent which puts down a real marker for what is to follow. Nova slows it right back down again with its haunting and somewhat ethereal vocal promoting a sense of safety and security until it bursts into a huge climactic chorus line midway and towards the end of the song.
Cascades Of Noise raises the tempo back up again with its jangling beats, frantic drum patterns and anthemic chorus lines. With a focus on leaving the old behind and starting afresh along the right path, all wrapped up in its uplifting melody: this is nothing short of a summer anthem. Ark meanwhile moves strongly back into shoegaze territory with its guitar sound reminding me very much of one of my favourite bands to emerge from New York, Longwave. Complete with melancholy strings, it focuses more on supporting and protecting each other.
Crimson Eye is dominated by a metronomic drum pattern overlaid with crunching reverb-driven guitars and harmonic vocals which cast a self-reflecting eye, whilst the dreams and desires within Tangerine venture over the boundaries of intricate guitar pop with sweet and sensitive vocals sitting alongside the layers of sound. Cocoon follows on as what seems like a synth-driven instrumental which sounds almost like the peel of one hundred bells. It’s a sound that gradually envelops your mind and soul as it builds to a rousing crescendo, and I guess that’s why it was given the title Cocoon.
Nymph rocks out, albeit with big pop harmonic overtones and seems focused on turning the other cheek so that “no one can see darkest thoughts which bother me”. Orchard’s Lie has a real depth and soul with a sound which seamlessly blends shoegaze and dreampop through a story of hurt and deception. The underlying string arrangement gives it an even greater presence as if to be the very centrepiece of the album, which joins up all the dots.
Sheela has a full and dramatic sound as it seeks a new way forward whilst interspersed with moments of melancholy which suggest moments of reflection. As this fades, it leads into the more ethereal sounds of Cyclone, which focuses on self-protection from dangers which may be lurking, with the Nico-style vocals adding to the sense of drama in trying “to escape the storm to be safe”. The final word is left to Aurora, which is driven by a stirring bassline and harmonic vocals, overlaid with strong shimmering guitar breaks as it reflects on the breakdown of a relationship.
Through the album Noise Between The Shades, Melting Palms have created a maelstrom of mesmerising and hypnotic psychedelic soundscapes which can take you on a different journey every time you listen to it. With its often-ethereal feel, this is music to free your mind and take you to places maybe you had only dreamed of, whilst experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions along the way. There is a true sense of escapism embedded within these sonic grooves which I have rarely experienced before in this form.
There is a real sense of catharsis running through the songs in a bid to leave the old behind and focus on the path ahead. But this album also continues to recognise the challenges that such a path can create, inevitably with many setbacks along the way. But you only have to listen to this album once to realise it’s a path worth following and I can only encourage you to join in on this magnificent journey.
Year 2022 | Pop | Rock | Alternative | FLAC / APE | Mp3
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