Neverever - Angelic Swells Album Review

Angelic Swells by Neverever contains more than just a passing whiff of nostalgia - it positively reeks of some kind of 1950s American rock'n'roll mixed with undeniable bursts of contemporary indie pop. The album certainly has its charms, but also a few draw backs.

The album begins with a sample of a storm before breaking into one of the more subdued songs on the album; Here is Always Somewhere Else. It is a mix of slow drawn out vocals over chiming picked guitar chords, before turning to fuzzy power chords. It is ok, but nothing more - it hardly sets the world alight.

The album continues with the cheeky storytelling of Blue Genes - a song about incest. Lyrically it is a master stroke but as with a few other songs on the album (most notably on the track Young Runaways) the overly simplistic guitar riffs can go from quirky and fun to just simply annoying. This is also the case with the vocals, an American rock'n'roll drawl, which becomes monotonous and annoying by the end of the album.

I get the feeling there are some moments of sheer pop brilliance trying to burst out here, but they get lost under the irritating guitars and vocals which take undue precedence most of the time. Angelic Swells will offer you nothing unless you are looking for a nostalgia trip, but as is the case with nostalgia, this album will not offer you anything new.

Ben Walton