A few years ago, Black Room, then called Lorraine (after the character in the Back to the Future film) had a hit with ‘I Feel It.’
For some reason Pop Noir has taken three years and a name change to materialise. The trio are yet another fine example of the quality pop originating from Norway (a-ha, Fra Lippo Lippi, Royksopp) and like the former, their model centres around vocal, guitar and electronics.
It’s an extended rehash of said hit that kicks off, but there’s plenty more to shout about. Long known fan favourites ‘She Lives In Gardens’ and ‘Saved’ are joined by a sumptuous range of aural pleasure such as ‘A Million Colours’ with its swirling synth-flute motif, and ballads like ‘Beyond the Sky’ that sound like they’ve been lifted straight out of 1985! Other strong points include another ballad ‘Life Less Ordinary’ and moodily erotic ‘Italian Girlfriend’ which closes. There is room for more hits in the form of ‘Tell it All’ - although it sounds like a familiar soundtrack from teen show The OC, its beauty remains unhindered.
If they return to the UK for live shows, prepare to see a lot of Depeche Mode t-shirts in the crowd: a band that Mode fans rate highly is a rare commodity indeed and dare I say it, Pop Noir is a better debut than Hunting High and Low! Whether or not it gets the same accolades in years to come will only be determined in time.
For some reason Pop Noir has taken three years and a name change to materialise. The trio are yet another fine example of the quality pop originating from Norway (a-ha, Fra Lippo Lippi, Royksopp) and like the former, their model centres around vocal, guitar and electronics.
It’s an extended rehash of said hit that kicks off, but there’s plenty more to shout about. Long known fan favourites ‘She Lives In Gardens’ and ‘Saved’ are joined by a sumptuous range of aural pleasure such as ‘A Million Colours’ with its swirling synth-flute motif, and ballads like ‘Beyond the Sky’ that sound like they’ve been lifted straight out of 1985! Other strong points include another ballad ‘Life Less Ordinary’ and moodily erotic ‘Italian Girlfriend’ which closes. There is room for more hits in the form of ‘Tell it All’ - although it sounds like a familiar soundtrack from teen show The OC, its beauty remains unhindered.
If they return to the UK for live shows, prepare to see a lot of Depeche Mode t-shirts in the crowd: a band that Mode fans rate highly is a rare commodity indeed and dare I say it, Pop Noir is a better debut than Hunting High and Low! Whether or not it gets the same accolades in years to come will only be determined in time.