{"id":51740,"date":"2019-07-30T21:06:31","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T20:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=51740"},"modified":"2019-07-30T21:06:31","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T20:06:31","slug":"moving-out-in-all-directions-ummagma-cross-new-frontiers-on-third-album-compass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2019\/07\/moving-out-in-all-directions-ummagma-cross-new-frontiers-on-third-album-compass\/","title":{"rendered":"MOVING OUT IN ALL DIRECTIONS – Ummagma Cross New Frontiers On Third Album ‘Compass’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vocalist Shauna McLarnon and multi-instrumentalist\u00a0<\/strong> Alexander Kretov<\/strong> could not have hit upon a more apposite title for their third album.<\/h4>\n

Compass\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>sees the Ummagma <\/strong>duo extending their range across multiple genres and influences to make a record which sounds both otherworldly and yet curiously familiar.<\/p>\n

The surprises come right from the outset, opener Rolling <\/strong><\/em>strutting in like the soundtrack to a ’70s cop show.<\/p>\n

With drums and funk guitars straight out of the\u00a0Starsky and Hutch<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0and Shaft\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>playbook, it’s like Talking Heads<\/strong>‘\u00a0Blind<\/strong><\/em>, minus the political paranoia.<\/p>\n

Hardly what you’d expect from a band usually associated with the Shoegaze, Dreampop and ambient scene.<\/p>\n

Caravan<\/strong><\/em> takes us into Afrobeat territory, with Kretov contributing some dazzling space-rock guitar.<\/p>\n

Dub reggae meets ’60s girl group sounds on\u00a0Otherwise –<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0a combination which really shouldn’t work, but is surprisingly effective.<\/p>\n

Blown <\/strong><\/em>blends McLarnon’s soaring vocals with acoustic guitar and oriental-style keys, with what sounds like a Middle Eastern call to prayer thrown in.<\/p>\n

There’s post-pop, reminiscent of the late Mark Hollis<\/strong>‘ seminal Talk Talk <\/strong>on Lotus<\/strong><\/em>, while\u00a0Elizabeth 44<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>has a haunting post-punk\/indie vibe.<\/p>\n

LCD\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>is more typical Shoegaze fare, electronic bleeps and whooshes, floating above elegant washes of guitar.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

F-Talking <\/strong><\/em>and\u00a0Galacticon<\/strong><\/em> see the Canadian-Ukrainian two-piece taking us beyond the final frontier.<\/p>\n

The former sounds like Kubrick’s 2001\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>colliding with the electronic soundscapes of Tangerine Dream<\/strong><\/em>, while\u00a0Galacticon’<\/em>s portentous melancholy puts you in mind of a lost astronaut, wandering the surface of some distant alien planet.<\/p>\n

There’s more gauzy ambience on\u00a0Cretu<\/strong><\/em> and digital-only bonus track\u00a0Bouquet<\/strong><\/em>, but the real highlight of the album is High Day <\/strong><\/em>(see below video).<\/p>\n

The perfect showcase for McLarnon’s crystal clear vocals, it’s an uplifting waltz, with an unashamedly pop sensibility.<\/p>\n

Charming and eclectic, Compass <\/em>is an album that defies easy comparisons, but the band I keep coming back to are The Flaming Lips<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

There’s the same disregard for fashion and flair for the surreal and eccentric.<\/p>\n

Kretov even sounds a bit like Wayne Coyne<\/strong>\u00a0when he takes over lead vocals on Colors II<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Much like The Lips, Ummagma create their own world and Compass<\/em>‘ clever genre-mashing arrangements should send plenty of new followers in their direction.<\/p>\n