Onward, Voyageur – S/T (Independent)
What an exquisite experience this lovely album is. From start to finish you get a class of indie pop that is never less than superbly atmospheric, and always more than the sum of its parts. It actually gets stronger as we move deeper into the album. With every track it develops its own identity, as the female vocals give us pole position on this particular musical trip, which skirts the edges of pop to get to the very kernel of indie rock. They gently surround the song, energize the lyrics with a semi-breathless, passionate approach, and when they harmonize there is a tight strength to them, although a gentle frailty still pervades some of the songs, all held together by an elastic rhythm section and swirling guitars and keyboards.

It probably helps that these guys and dolls have been around the block before (in the nicest possible way!), in different guises and groups, although this is the debut album from the actual band. Their combined experiences allows them to be able to determine what they want to create, and give them a firm grasp on how to do it. The result is that this fine mix of tunes gel together, giving the band a firm platform from which to launch their songs. From there they head to where dream pop meets with shoegaze, but with the added spice of something akin to a shared purpose, the strength of having a common goal. Whatever they do I get the impression that they will all be pulling together, as they head into their own sunshine future as one entity.

So, on this album they emerge confidently on their new journey together, and, personally, I hope it’s going to be a long and productive trip they share.
www.myspace.com/onwardvoyageur

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