black melanite - Evening Glow

Black Melanite
​
Evening Glow
self-released: 2018

4.2 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM

By Rebecca Rothschild

You know, I am partial to a breakup album. There is something so delicious about digging into the pettiness and anger. Black Melanite's album Evening Glow is the antithesis of a breakup album. This album burns and simmers in the love shared between the power couple that is Liz Colliflower and Timothy Haw. The two met on a website designed for creatives to share their ideas. This painfully millennial tale of futuristic love is adorable and let me just say I am grateful because this is a cool album that I absolutely loved. Together they have formed an indie dream pop sound that is spacey and romantic.

This a low-fi album packed with beautiful little trips that sometimes come full circle, and sometimes that land you in nowhere, but either way the journey was worth it. A garage may seem like a strange place to launch listeners into the stars, but that's how it was done. Honestly the more I listen to this album, the more it all fits together and makes sense. The more it sounds like you start off in a humble garage setting and then slowly meander your way to the cosmos by means of a light breeze pushing you up there like a feather.

The vocals definitely add to the sweetness factor as the two take turns and so you get a lot of endearing duet like performances. I don't think I've heard any vocal styling quite like this as far as dream pop is concerned. They have an iconic quality to how they commune with one another through the lyrics. It almost sounds as though the listener isn't supposed to understand or hear it, like it's a secret language, and yet it's just plain English.

I love the ease of this album and how it was done with very little bells and whistles. With dream pop the electronic samples and techniques take front stage. Not with these two, they instead focused on enhancements of instruments any indie band would use. They were a bit like mad scientists with pedals and techniques and different tech at their disposal. I was VERY fond of the jazz based, it was just the perfect cherry on top of this cosmically satisfying sundae. I feel like the music's mixing and mastering was kept in mind during the entire process. As mentioned earlier, this was recorded in a garage, and it sounds sensational. You can tell this production was handled with as much love and care as the music itself.

​I can't begin to tell how happy I am these two reside in Philly. I have reasons to be in Philly. I've got friends there. I now have a new reason, to catch these two lovebirds live and I am determined to do it. I have to congratulate these two on softening my dark heart and making a case for love with this album. Please give Evening Glow a listen, it's beautiful and utterly charming.

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