Album Review: All We Are – All We Are
All We Are
Released February 2nd 2015
Words: Nick Jacques
The first intriguing fact about this Liverpool based trio, All We Are, is that each of the band members hail from 3 very different parts of the globe; one from Brazil, one from Ireland and the other from Norway – this exotic combination makes for an interesting premise and manages to produce a lush and trippy vibe.Secondly, the band describe their music style as the “Bee Gees on diazepam”! . . . . But minus the tight trousers! A description which I think fits the loins perfectly.
Thankfully these facts ring true on their self titled debut outing. Clever vocal interplay runs through out, with plenty of sprightly 70s-style guitar plucking, languid blissful synths and understated drumming Producer Dan Carey (Bats For Lashes, MIA, Hotchip) evokes these textures with calm and aplomb, giving the album an expansive feel that is filled with both warmth & depth. The mood is set for the listener with a pleasing and uplifting sense of lucidity on opener Intro –Ebb/Flow.
Their sound continues to flirt with other similar artists past & present such as MGMT, Phoenix, Air and maybe with a accidental dash of Fleetwood Mac. There are tracks like Keep Me Alive, Utmost Good and Go, where they come into their own. Go in particular ends with a crescendo of overlapping hazy synths which prove easy to blissfully get lost in.
The chilled funk vibe of Utmost Good indulges in a deep bass riff which will worm its way your skull with minimum fuss.
If there are any negative points about All We Are’s debut, is that maybe it comes to feel a little bit lethargic as it draws to the end, but then again perhaps it’s an album that is just best served chilled.
On the whole All We Are is an indulgent and blissed out debut which makes for a snug soundtrack for these Wintery days. It will warm those cockles to no end. Just imagine the band Empire of the Sun and their entourage partying all night on sand dunes whilst overdoing it on the sherbet double-dips and then hanging about on hammocks, watching the sun appear amongst a cloudy haze. This would be close description of how these Liverpool Institute of Arts upstarts fair here on their infectious and sun-kissed debut.
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