CERULEAN SAPPHIRE – soft attention
CERULEAN SAPPHIRE (CS) appear out of a blue-hued aether with their latest, self-produced album, soft attention. Based around a self-proclaimed concept they’re calling “Mediterranean Melancholy,” CS was created by a Finn who grew up in south Spain, surrounded by a suite of different cultures. Like its creator, soft attention lives in the spaces in between – a liminal, escapist, and dreamlike offering that harkens back to the ’90s in a Pure Moods type of way while keeping its finger on the pulse of modern day synthpop.
Songs like “orientate in paris” are archetypal CS. The music here is some holy mixture of synthpop, ambiance, and shoegaze – equal parts Cocteau Twins, Everything But The Girl, and Slowdive. Ghostly, otherworldly vocals float heavenly above Casio-tone keyboard tones – buzzing, bubbling basslines; machine-like percussion; and gauzy synth pads create a sleepy haze. This is music to meditate to – or at the very least, to feel nostalgic to. Follow up track “june, dream” follows a similar path. The vocals here are bathed in a swirling whirlpool of effects, to the point where they sound almost aquatic. This is either poolside music, or music for the dead of winter, but “june, dream,” in particular, has an uplifting and soothing vibe. “Lost in this moment / can’t you see / June dream / stay with me” – who hasn’t felt longing like that during a perfect, summertime evening that you simply don’t want to end.
Later on, “nok min skyld” takes on a Porches-esque vibe, lurching forward with bedroom-pop sensibilities. Dark with a sense of longing, this synthpop-forward tune would fit comfortably on any Still Corners or Beach House release, too. Ebbing and flowing, swelling and shrinking, “nok min skyld” feels like the changing tides and for that reason, certainly gets our nod for album favorite. We also have to give a nod to the snowfall-arpeggiated “dried roses,” (which has racked up almost 20k plays on Spotify already!), and the slow burner award to the delay-laced “take time,” which could be the soundtrack to the snow level from your favorite Donkey Kong game (David Wise is a genius, this is a compliment through and through).
All in all, soft attention is music for the melancholy… And for that reason, we loved it. Check out the Soundcloud embed for “june, dream” (below), or, stream the whole album on Spotify.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna