The premise of Euphoric Recall is that Braids singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston is in love – and she doesn’t care who knows it. This is not the kind of self destructive attraction which coloured parts of the album’s predecessor Shadow Offering, but a more pure, uncut version which has prompted a journey involving on the track Evolution “Our pursuit of the individual self, which comprises all realms of human emotion.”
Where listeners stand on a lyrical backdrop which frequently reads like a very private conversation will depend on their willingness to act as witness them, but for the romance-agnostic thankfully the music comes to their rescue. The eight minutes of Supernova for example transition through glitched out electronica and ambient piano, restless soundscapes which mirror the rollercoaster effect of intense emotions.
It’s a track which also showcases Standell-Preston’s soaring, multi-octave voice, a feature which is used less here than it should. Without it’s angelic distractions the rest of the material is left searching for inspiration, a door through which chinks of light appear in the form of Millenia and Retreiver, but these are flashes in what proves otherwise to be an inconsistent brew. Love is a many splendoured thing some old guy said, but as Euphoric Recall proves, it feels better than it sometimes sounds.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 