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Album Reviews
Album review: Port Royal – The Golden Age Of Consumerism (N5MD)
By Marc Samuels | Published on Friday 25 March 2011
Port Royal inhabit the surprisingly unexplored pastures of the electronica/post-rock interface and thankfully they do it brilliantly.
Whilst the dreamy ambience recalls Aphex Twin or Boards Of Canada at their most somnambulant, the washes of sound and occasional gossamer-thin guitars recall Ulrich Schnauss and other nu-gaze artists or even the more organic glacial experiments of Múm and Sigur Rós.
‘The Golden Age Of Consumerism’ collects together various rare tracks and remixes over two CDs but despite the length (nearly three hours of music) it never drags. Mood and texture are everything, with the Genoa duo creating effortlessly atmospheric (and occasionally melancholy) pieces that manage to sound impossibly futuristic yet pastoral and nostalgic at the same time.
The first CD collates EPs and unreleased tracks and is, frankly, like spending a blissful 80 minutes in a floatation tank, with the likes of ‘Günther Anders’ (a beautifully conceived stately epic redolent of early – ie melodic – Autechre) making for mesmerising listening.
CD2 compiles Port Royal’s remixes for other acts, including Ladytron and Felix Da Housecat. The remixes are more varied in nature (some even being almost danceable), and whilst the quality occasionally dips, there are some intriguing reworks.
A fine compilation. MS
Physical release: 18 Apr
