Album Review: Tamaryn - Tender New Signs

Tamaryn
Tender New Signs
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

New Zealand born singer Tamaryn and her collaborator/producer Rex John Shelverton broke out in 2010 with the shoegaze-inspired album The Waves, which was so thick and drenched in reverb and heavy effects it might as well have been recorded underwater. The dense production work almost sunk the album on several occasions, however, Tamaryn and Shelverton always seemed to be able to come back from the brink with taut songwriting. With their sophomore album Tender New Signs nothing much as changed from their debut except they appear to have moved from all out blistering sonic assault to something more mature and engaging, where there is little struggle to hear the melodies.

First track "I'm Gone" is noticeably free of obfuscation, the guitars ringing and warm, rather than brooding and mournful.



A melodic bassline propels the slinky groove of "While You're Sleeping, I'm Dreaming" while guitars gather and shimmer.



Album centerpiece "Prizma" subtly brings everything together, liquid guitars wander in and out of a dreamy backbeat and Tamaryn's ghostly vocals; "Afterlight" features some gorgeous guitar work from Shelverton, pointillistic leads punctuating with swirls of effects;



and closing track "Violet's In A Pool" ends things on a haunted, melancholy note, grinding guitars and stark basslines march slowly over a funereal beat.



The complaints I have with the record are that it maintains a very constant mood over the entire run and, depending on your mood, can sound very cohesive and dreamy or sound very one-note and monotonous. And some tracks, notably "No Exit" and "The Garden" the songs stick to a very limited palate and cry out for more texture and interest. But these are small quibbles about a very solid record. If you are a huge shoegaze fan, as I am, you will quickly be drawn into the spell of Tender New Signs.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.