Its been nearly 4 years since the last John Maus album and incredibly when I heard this album the first time the immediate reaction to listening to this was "Wait is this Ariel Pink?" cause shit sounds very similar. This lo-fi synth pop album has a very similar retro feel to that of last years breakthrough album from Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Before Today which definitely was a favourite of mine.
While this album has similarities to that of the Ariel Pink album particularly in its lo fi approach to these pop songs, it without a doubt produces its own sound and style. The swagger in which Ariel sings his music isn't in this album, Maus seems far more soft and laid back in his vocals, the music seems a little more subtle and without a miriad of backing vocalists. Another point of note is that this album is far more electronic based which is great the songs have a much greater head bobbing beat to them.
A favourite track of mine on this is Hey Moon, starting with a very simple sound it slowly builds with Maus and backing soothing voice, overal its pretty good BES. Another track that certainly caught my attention was the very short track Crucifix which to me is the closest to an Ariel Pink song the beat is simple and the vocals show off some of that retro pop swagger we heard last year. These songs are just that little bit better than the rest, but the overall retro feel of the album is evident and works really well.
Overall this is a pretty cool album, but certainly not an album for everyone. Someone that appreciates synth pop with sucyh a retro feel will really enjoy this, obviously Ariel Pink fans will like this with its similarities. The simpleness of the album is great, John Maus certainly played around with some cool electronic sounds and didn't take over it with his vocals merely putting it out there at the right time.
Overall Rating: 8/10
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