- “Such pretty music. It makes me feel as though I am in love,” said a female friend, and I agree. It’s Bent, how can you not say that? There is something incredibly remarkable with “Ariels” by Simon Mills and Nail Tolliday; it’s delicate, sweet, and magical. Gone for the time being are the heavily use of samples from the par’s back catalog and we now welcome the natural acoustics and strings of two musicians alongside with the lush and surreal vocal talents of Steve Edwards, Sian (of Kosheen), Rachel Foster (of the Weekend Players) and of course Katty.
The album works in twofold as Bent does what they do well – make dreamy bedtime songs for the contemporary electronic listener while still adapting its ears for the general public at large (for the first time…maybe it’s selling out, but I don’t think so). They know what works and they know how to create music that will move the soul while still being playful; it’s a balance that will push Mills and Tolliday into the mainstream once and for all.
The dreamy soundscapes are pure and innocent with twelve tracks that work together as one, yet each can stand on its own; an emotional album that comes in and stays for sixty minutes only to leave you wanting more. It’s a bit sad to hear that the quirkiness and humor that graced Bent’s prior two albums are gone, but they’ve matured and so have you. Time moves on and you can’t stay in the same place forever.
With the first single “Comin’ Back” as the opener, you get treated to the bouncy rhythms and hip-shaking percussions that begins the album with an upbeat mood. A fantastic start! The track reminds me of 70’s R&B and it’s understandable clear why this is chosen as the first single because of its upbeat attitude. Nourishing onward you get a taste a moods and tempos that ranges from disco-pop-to-wallpaper music that never lets go, but always staying constant in the back of your head. Other notable standouts are “As You Fall” with its deep ambience of tension and soft vocals that pushes the album to its peak early. “Silent Life” has it’s rich vocals by Simon Mills and earthly textures, while “Exercise 4” opens up the electroish influences that have been raging on the past year.
It’s all so warm and fuzzy as “Ariels” is a rush of psychedelic melodies and beautifully sung lyrics that make this album what it is as the Nottingham producers now have graduated into the consciousness of pop culture. Very lush indeed.
The Full-Length Presentation
1.Comin’ Back
2.Sunday 29th
3.I Can’t Believe It’s Over
4.As You Fall
5.Silent Life
6.Sing Me
7.On the Lake
8.Now I Must Remember
9.You Are the Oscillator
10.Sunday Boy
11.Exercise 4
12.Waters Deep