SUMMER starts here, with this lazy, hazy 11-track offering from English retro-popsters Metronomy. The brief opening title track, where a flock of seagulls wail over a solo violin lament to the sounds of waves washing over the shore, places us by the sea; to the English Riviera, home of Metronomy lead man Joseph Mount.
Like a summer cocktail, The English Riviera is a blend of flavours: from the prog-rock-like We Broke Free to the Pulp-inspired The Look. Roxanne Clifford provides sweet vocals on the duet Everything Goes My Way, as catchy as Peter Bjorn And John’s Young Folks. Comparisons have been made to Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac, but while The English Riviera manages to mine an authentic Seventies vibe, it still sounds modern.
The one exception is final track Love Underlined, with its dance-trance undercurrent, reminding us Metronomy have other waves to ride.
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