Stockport, England quintet Blossoms has an eponymous debut delivers a windfall of sunny synthpop anthems with as much chart-topping potential as dancefloor appeal. The album’s sparkle lies in radio-friendly song structures, cordial vocals, danceable grooves, edgy guitar fills, and dynamic synth leads, but all that glitters is not gold. While these tunes make the perfect soundtrack for a rush hour commute or hurrying across campus, they lose their lustre with repeated listening, as the lyrics mostly fail to provide either memorable hooks or the substance to sustain the emotions they project.
The opening track, “Charlemagne,” establishes the band’s signature vibe, one reminiscent of 80s disco laced with 90s indie rock, and contains fodder for the entire range expressed on the album. “At Most a Kiss” follows suit in forging a blended style of disparate influences, bridging a driving synth sound reminiscent of The Music with a melodic impulse similar to that of The Smiths. Surprisingly, the most idiosyncratic song on the album, “Onto Her Bed,” is also the best song on the album. The stripped bare piano ballad concentrates Tom Ogden’s vocal and lyrical energies within a gently rising storm of atmospheric synths. While these tracks highlight the unique sound that has brought about the quintet’s sugary emergence, an album can only be as good as its lowpoint, and, unfortunately, the bottom drops out on the depthless bubblegum tracks “Getaway,” “Honey Sweet,” and “My Favourite Room,” which work only as exercises in formula pop, but not as genuinely inspired songwriting.
The saving grace, and perhaps a glimpse of a more mature Blossoms, is a pair of Portishead-esque tunes on the latter half of the album, “Smashed Pianos” and the closing track “Deep Grass.” “Smashed Pianos” is sacked by the mechanical lilt of the chorus, but the spooky interplay between bass, synth, and guitar makes for exciting listening, while also allowing the musicians opportunity to stretch their creative legs. Despite the trite rhyming, “Deep Grass” ends the album on a high note, offering listeners a blissful, yet dark, song featuring a raw, emotive guitar lead, cut with futuristic synth tones, and a vocal performance geared less toward pop perfection, but perfectly in touch with the rhythm and melody.
The album MVP is Charlie Salt, the bassist, whose playing is the consistent and lyrical foundation that provides the soloists opportunities to shine. He delves into multiple styles and his always fresh effort is enjoyable across the album, even when the song on the whole is not.
Key Tracks: Charlemagne, Onto Her Bed, Smashed Pianos
The first day started out with a few solo songs with Mihali, followed by an incredible set by Annie in the Water, which was a total surprise. The Kitchen Dwellers were originally in place to kick it off, but had a delayed flight, so Annie In The Water filled in on the spot. This ended up being a blessing in disguise, as the Kitchen Dwellers played at Higher Ground later in the evening, before Cabinet – we got the best of both worlds! Annie in the Water really started it off right with a mellow, jam/rock, reggae vibe. Up next came Turkuaz, a funky super-group that really lay it all out, featuring tunes from their most recent album Digitonium (2015). They drew a large crowd, which they amped up with their high-energy performance – a perfect opening for Twiddle’s first set of the evening.
Scheduled to begin at 1pm on that lovely Friday was the Aceetobee Spelling Bee, some good old fashioned Disco Biscuits trivia, as well as Little Shimmy in a Limbo Line.
Thurday, July 14 was pleasantly welcoming upon arrival compared to the tediousness of last year. The security lines moved much more quickly both on and off site, and the shuttle system ran smoothly. Once inside, campers had a plethora of events to choose from. Beginning promptly at 10AM, a yoga class at the Above the Waves stage kicked off the weekend’s bevy of Wellness programs. A Festival Fuel seminar followed at noon, a talk that gave information as to which food would best combine portability, nutrition, and ease of preparation; extremely useful for any frequent festival goer. It seemed that Bisco was aiming to make its patrons not only headier, but healthier, this time around.
Bisco veterans Orchard Lounge kick started the Friday festivities on July 15 with some filthy deep house beats. Being their 9th appearance at the festival, the trio floored the crowd with a qualified style. Thundercat continued to electrify the main stage at 4PM with a sophisticated brand of jazz-fusion that only bassist Stephen Bruner can deliver. Lettuce ensued, though seemed lacking in the wake of such intense technical musicianship as the Thundercat brought. 7PM rang in the Disco Biscuits first set of the evening. Humidity wasn’t the only reason for a high moisture level, as guitarist Jon “The Barber” Gutwillig slid into the opening bars of “Jamilia” with a sensuality that made the ladies blush. “Park Ave.” completed the segment, as Bisco classic “Caterpillars” brought us into an inverted arrangement of “Mulberry’s Dream”. The band seemed to struggle through “Feeling Twisted”, as bassist Marc Brownstein took off his five string and clumsily muddled around on his less mastered instrument, the mini-synth. The conclusion of “Caterpillar” rounded out the set.
Saturday July 16 was chalk full o’ fan favorites, starting with Tom Hamilton’s American Babies at 1PM. Ott grooved next, bidding a warm farewell and asking everyone to stick around for the Biscuits’ day set to follow. Rolling out another classic cover, the Biscuits pulled the pin with “Pygmy Twylyte”. Next was an inverted version of “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” which they recently played during the Bisco Inferno run in Denver, CO. Decidedly matching the sunny mood, the Grateful Dead’s “Viola Lee Blues” continued the cover trend. The segment continued with a stunning “Shelby Rose”, leaving many first timers with an apprehensive grin. “Little Betty Boop” concluded the first in the trilogy of Biscuits sets. The crowd seemed excited for Jewish rap superstar Lil Dicky, AKA Leftward Slopping Penis, but expectations were crushed for the first 15 minutes of the 6PM set, as there was an alarmingly obnoxious “hype” man screaming into a microphone and making air horn noises from behind a turntable. Lil Dick came out at a seemingly random moment and performed none of his well known comedic songs, instead going back and forth with an unknown rapper in perverse and simpleminded rhyme.