Remember Remember are a band who appear, judging by the evidence presented in this, their second full-length album, to have few reference points in modern pop and rock music. “The Quickening” could genuinely have emerged at any time in the last 40 years, its sweeping, majestic and frequently psychedelic tones hovering somewhere in the space between Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Mike Oldfield.
In a way, it is perhaps the last of those three to whom the most direct comparison can be made, simply because “The Quickening” is an instrumental album, albeit one of grand ambition. The multi-coloured cover serves as an interesting counterpoint to the music, which is also refreshingly multi-textured, frequently launching songs from a few sparse chords but building into complex, multi-layered compositions with epic arrangements and a melodious centre which will ensure a wide appeal. That wouldn’t be a bad achievement for a record with nothing in the way of vocals and an average track length of over six minutes.
Despite the clear capabilities of the musicians involved, Remember Remember never allow themselves to over-indulge, rather always steering their formidable abilities to most wholly benefit the track in question. The overall effect is akin to Ludovico Einaudi fronting Pink Floyd, with a melodic yet melancholic central theme fleshed out by the backing of a complete rock band plus string quartet. I don’t expect them to be shifting units into the seven figures, but equally I wouldn’t be surprised to hear their music used to soundtrack a David Attenborough documentary or epic romantic film. A thrilling and thoroughly rewarding listen – check it out.
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