Youngsbower - Relayer
(VHF)
Cover art clearly a tribute to Yes's Relayer, this new masterpiece by the entity known as Youngsbower bears little aural resemblance to its namesake apart from a psychedelic lushness that infuses every track. All hail Richard Youngs, reluctant librarian/visionary leader of the buzzing UK underground (with an emphasis on "buzzing" because that's what a lot of it sounds like). Partner Matthew Bower, who cut his teeth in Skullflower and now ambles along with his Sunroof! project, joins up for their first collaboration since the 1994 LP "Site/Realm." But where the former was a shrieking guitar-based attack, Relayer is a more horizontal, opened up approach. Instrumentation is uncredited but chimes, piano, synthesizer and guitars are obviously in the mix, with some other sounds creeping into my ears that sound like toy ray-guns, spiraling sirens and imploding bells. Some of the textural work recalls Youngs' work with Simon Wickham-Smith on Metallic Sonatas, while other parts share the ambiance of his collaboration with Stephen Todd (Georgians). Bower's Sunroof! aesthetic rears its head, though without as much density as his studio records show; the space in Relayer is perhaps its defining feature. The colorful ellipses that decorate the back of the CD look like jelly beans, or perhaps molecules dissipating in the air; it's a simplistic gesture, but perfect to capture the feel of this album. Even when there are layers of electronics bubbling around the stereo spectrum, the pieces remain fun, airy, and pleasant. The most malevolent piece is probably "New Martian Sun Tunnel," whose distorted journey still sketches out a world of open skies. "Hoedown Modulation" is more supporting evidence for my theory that there is no such phrase as "TOO ring-modulated," and "Moonlight Ice Rink" is calmingly beautiful, yet active. The eleven tracks make the journey from the opening "Eagle Like a Fly" to its companion closer, "Fly Like an Eagle," rhythmically ambling eternal music of transmogrification. Those looking for the pastoral folk forms of Sapphie may be disappointed by this, but anyone who has ever wanted to hear colors without resorting to illegal substances might want to give Relayer a spin.
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