The chosen few who are already familiar with Norfolk synth combo SARGASSO TRIO, having encountered their surprisingly exotic 2008 debut album 'Burnin' Burnin' Burnin', are sure to welcome the news that their second full length release is almost upon us.
It's been a long time (as Rakim might put it) - but fans of their strange blend of marimba grooves and early 80's-inspired pop need not fear alienation, as the Trio (all four of 'em) pick up where they left off. Indeed, it's like they've never been away; opener 'Kathmandu' might well be dominated by a curious 'dawn-of-the-video-era' binary synth. chic, but their ol' fascination with Calypso percussion is still fully intact.
Second track 'Dinner' is a real kitsch oddity, evidence that the quartet have also retained their passion for binary synthesiser sounds. Overtly artificial and push-button handclap-happy, it's another no-holds-barred statement of style, complete with tremelo FX that add an element of burn and slide to the melody's highly-polished veneer.
'I'm gonna make y'Dinner..' declares heir impressive vocalist Emily Siddall in sophisti-Pop mode.
The laid-back high-frequencies and falsettos that get 'Patterns' off to the s-l-o-w-e-s-t of starts kills the momentum a bit then; however, these Sargasso kids are no speed merchants. The title track, an anti-testosterone lament elaborately called 'You've Got To Get To Grips With How You Feel Inside' is another cruise at Sunday-driver 28mph levels, but the harmonic chime-fest that unfolds suggests that this considered mid-tempo flow is their velocity of choice (even when the unashamed and uninhibited 'Demon On The Drums' later cranks dinner-jazz all the way to the brink of disco inferno meltdown!). It's cliche-filled and no, it's not 'cool', but it flows freely and impressively because no, they don't care.
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Later on, insomniac, depression-fuelled apathy drifts off in search of musical psychosis via atonal noise and overlapping harmonies - but without urgency or direction the Norfolk explorers are soon hopelessly lost in unidentified territory. Rescue comes complete with a hint of Colin Tully-style 'Gregory's Girl' charm in the form of final fling 'Oh Microphone'
The slower tracks share the same subtle shift of gear midway through, but drift rather than 'kick in' to reflect the inert qualities of depression. A huge chunk of the record comes from right under the covers, and there's an added sense of futility about the way it's overshadowed by the intermittent blasts of pure, if unconventional pop.
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