Pacific! – Reveries

"We started a duo. And then we found a name that reminded us of of Japan, California, deep secrets and sunsets. Pacific!" - Björn Synneby of Pacific!In an interview with Anthem Magazine earlier this year, Björn Synneby had this to say about Swedish music: "The Swedish hype is very 2006. Bands like José González, Jens Lekman and El Perro Del Mar went around the world." Don't get the other half of the eternally sunny Gothenburg wrong he loves Swedish music (he was even a member of El Perro Del Mar), but he realizes that this resurgence of interest in all things Sweden is already becoming sadly passe. The electro-surf duo is rounded out by Daniel Högberg and they traffic in the floral sounds that Balearic groups, like Boat Club, Air France and Studio have reintroduced to another generation of listeners. The rebirthed genre's link to the psychedelic grooves of 1960's California surf music and neu-cool factor of Parisian dance (Daft Punk, Justice) and old disco music ( runs as a sleek antecedent to the more sparse and stark electronic beats that prevail in Stockholm-the home of The Knife and Zeigeist.But to call Reveries, the duo's debut, strictly Balearic or electro would be more than reductionism. Those genres serve about the same purposes that a Slip-and-Slide does - an excuse to turn the work of those before you into a boundless playground. Okay, maybe the inherent danger of the 'death Slide' can't be found here but Pacific!'s electro beats are definitely inspired by the slippery rhythms of the tide - a close second if you ask me. Though Reveries sounds like a cohesive pop vision the original intent of Pacific! was to release a trilogy of 12"s. Their record label, Delores Recordings, quickly squashed that idea but the spirit behind it comes through in the stability of each individual track. And we get to hear such beautiful songs!'Disappear' and 'Reveries' are a double punch of Balearic and mean bass grooves. Whispered melodies float over both before entering more dissoant territory a la a Claude Debussy piece.All of a sudden, the duo makes a chronological skip from the aurora of the 20th century to the 60’s American west coast, when the surf culture was a rival in potential to the rock/rockabilly culture. The psychedelic choirs and keyboards of bands as The Beach Boys and The Zombies appear in “Sunset Blvd” and “Hold Me”. Those two songs demonstrate, actually, the Pacific!’s inclination to the indie pop lyricism of artists like Jens Lekman, El Perro Del Mar and Hello Saferide!.The two instrumental tracks ('Runway To Elsewhere' and opening track 'Villanova Sunset') are guided by funky basses, surf guitars, and shimmering synthesizers. These sounds serve as the backbone of the album but other unpredicted sonics pop up. In “Break Your Social System,” the slinky drum pads and synthetic cow bell flit a waft about - a sound akin to a decaffeinated break-core song. The bouncy sitar on "Sunset Blvd' is also a welcome surprise.The first singles of the album are “Number One” and “Hot Lips”, both of them slathered over by critics and listeners the world over (especially in Japan) are Reveries' stars. And rightfully so, they are breathless when they start checking off their sun-dappled touchstones. 'Number One' begins with a psychedelic choral and then it jettisons that by lighting a powder keg of synthesizers and electro pulsations that Jean-Michel Jarret and Daft Punk would adore. Not done by a long shot, the song's outre features a surf guitar solo over light synth stabs. The other single, “Hot Lips”, is a hedonistic tease and Högberg's delivery drives homes the point. It's a club track awash in bouncing-ball synth lines. You can't help but bob along.It makes sense that Stephane Manel ”“ graphic designer that supplies art for the French versions of Elle and Playboy ”“ was hired to create the covers of two Pacific! EP's and the cover of Reveries. He also crafted the hand drawn animations seen in the music videos for the two singles. This music is just too sexy for its own good!If there is anything to fault Pacific! with is that Reveries is a tad front loaded. That's not to say that the Knight Rider-meets the vocoded dance floor tracks ('Runaway To Elsewhere') and slow ballads ('Love Isn't Always On Time') fail to impress. They're just not as sonically playful as what has come before them. You tend to grasp onto the lyrical thrust of songs like 'Disappear' before they blast jittery synths into a Balearic close.'Live Before Seven echoes the vocal cues of earlier tracks and is a weird glitchy amalgam - think of a strange parallel universe where Tom Petty picked up a harpsichord instead of a guitar. The snoozy everyman balladry of 'A Tree' stamps a folkloric spirit onto their ELO aping. How did we get here? Ah, hell who cares! I've never listened to anything quite as fun this year. Consider me mostly smitten. I'm slippin' and slidin' all over these grooves. Man, the Swedish hype is so 2008.77% Links [myspace] [official] [label]Pacific! Music Videos'Hot Lips''Number One'