Album Review: Postiljonen – Skyer
It’s been a while since I’ve done any writing primarily because I’ve been busy graduating (and therefore wallowing in a mental morass of fear and denial because I’m twenty-two and haven’t written a naïve yet compelling debut novel). Anyway, now I’m bored of self-pity and watching daytime television so it’s back to it; Postiljonen’s Skyer has awakened me from my post-degree stupor. Disclaimer: usually, when I come to review anything, I am fairly restrained in my enthusiasm − positive adjectives are distributed sparsely and on a ‘needs must’ basis. This time it’s different. If you’re not a fan of superlatives then look away now.
‘Dream-pop’ as a genre generally fills me with indifference. My brain reads it as a code word for ‘wishy-washy’, the musical manifestation of ‘meh’. I should feel the same about this album but I don’t. Postiljonen, like so many bands these days, are mysterious(ish). They’ve left a trail of breadcrumbs which leads to a couple of interviews although their humble internet presence mostly revolves around a melancholic take on Whitney Houston’s otherwise chirpy ‘How Will I Know’. This one certainly grabbed the attention of fervent bloggers; it’s a beautiful, barely recognisable reinterpretation that sees the lyrics adopt heartrending new meaning. Recent single ‘Supreme’ is livelier, still sprinkled with nods to 80s pop and awash with twinkling nostalgia including the fitting refrain, ‘when time takes us back’. The first time I listened to ‘Plastic Panorama’ was on a train journey home, eyes half-closed, watching scenery slip by after a long day in the sun; it was the perfect soundtrack – a slow swell of ‘na na na nas’ drowning out the grunts of an obnoxious stag party sat in the same carriage.
Okay, I admit, there are kitsch characteristics throughout Skyer that some might dare to call ‘twee’ (even ‘cheesy’) as quotes from cult films that are thrown, Summer Camp style, into the mix. And sure, they’re a band that sound quite a lot like M83. Except it’d be a shame to get caught up in comparisons when there’s a lot that sets this album apart, such as the combination of magical and (most importantly) not at all mawkish female vocal, glowing synths and then… the saxophone. Oh my. (I can’t explain my enthusiasm here – I’ve always had a thing about ‘Careless Whisper’ too). In short, all this circuitousness is a bit futile because Skyer can be summed up in a brief, alliterative phrase: sexy, synth(y), sax(y), Scandipop for summer. It’s easily my favourite album of the year so far.
– Lauren Vevers
Skyer is available now on Best Fit Recordings.
