‘New Waves of Hope’ is the debut album by The Microdance.
Regulars to this page may recall that the singles, ‘We Meet In Dreams’ and ‘Making Plans For The End’, have already garnered praise for their discerning unpretentiousness.
The album was recorded over two weeks in LA with producer Frankie Siragusa and features guests Nicole Fiorentino (Smashing Pumpkins, The Cold & Lovely, Veruca Salt) on vocals and Eric Gardner (Iggy Pop, Morrissey, Tegan & Sara, Tom Morello, Cypress Hill) on drums.
The Microdance are the brainchild of Alex Keevill who says, “New Waves Of Hope is an old fashioned kind of album in that it’s a varied opus designed to be listened to in full. We focused on picking a cohesive collection of songs; meaning that while the album is still rich and expansive, there is a strong aesthetic and emotional thread that binds it as a body of work. We had the pleasure of working with some fantastic people who all brought the album to another level with their unique assets.”
The Microdance are Alex Keevill: Guitars, Synth & Vocals, Gavin Mata Hari: Guitars, Cheryl Pinero: Bass & Vocals and Alex Major: Drums.
Opening track, ‘We Meet In Dreams’, was released as a single back in April which Alex Keevill described as, ‘A serious song with a maudlin head and a disco heart.”; ‘Mudlark’, opens to sumptuous majestic grandeur, a lilting eulogy to the magpie’s scavenging, discerning eye; ‘Making Plans For The End’, it’s hard to believe it was almost exactly one year ago, that I reviewed this lead single, describing it as having, “bombast without being overblown, suffused with a hooky, sing-a-long, alt-pop sensibility. It’s immediacy is contagiously catchy.”; ‘Mi Perro Blanco’, splinters with the sublime depth of somnambulist soliloquies; The beautifully titled, ‘Come Back To Me My Lover In The Sky’, showcases the haunting dual vocal harmony, it displays a faintly reminiscent, though elusive, enveloping idiosyncrasy; ‘The City Was Cruel To Our Love’, kicks back with insouciant balladry, a meandering, ethereally emotive, chimerical sojourn; ‘New Waves Of Hope’, continues the delicate acoustic embrace, a song unafraid to reveal the whimsical heart on it’s sleeve.
Not to be confused with the 80’s New Jersey act who brought us the exalted, ‘Behind The Wall Of Sleep, ”Smithereens’, erupts with a similar passionate flair, it bounces and veers with pervasive, wailing, fractured sonics; ‘We Are The Hope Machine’, continues the up tempo, keep the faith, celebratory vibe; ‘Heeby Jeeby’, takes cosseted comfort in the nervous anxiety of it’s title, a soothing autumnal, soul swathing anthem; ‘Slanted Jessie’, rekindles their trademark, dream-pop ambience; ‘126 Dreamless Sleeps’, evokes my daughters’ penchant for measurement through sleeps! There is a longing in this restless missive, a richly choral yearning for surreal intimacy; ‘The Weight Of Holding You Up’, is a becalmed jewel, a blissfully detached, metered poem; Album curtain closer, ‘The Malaise Is Over’, haunts the mind, it’s ephemeral wisps, fleetingly coalesce, tantalisingly dissipating in particulate elegy…
‘New Waves of Hope’ is a coherent and cohesive amalgam, an intuitive and detailed odyssey, unconstrained by genre, it excels in delineating the transience of the corporeal realm…
Album artwork is by Jessica Keevil – ‘Girl on rocky shore by the lighthouse’, picture by Timothy Thomas. The album is available in compact disc with digital download via bandcamp, digital only purchases will be available from all the usual suspects – iTunes, Amazon, etc.
The Microdance ‘New Waves of Hope’ Album Launch with Crooked Teeth, Miss Bridget Walsh and Ola’s Kool Kitchen is at The Macbeth tomorrow, Wednesday 21st October.
