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Dreams arrive as soon as the music does. This is a new wave of gazing, farther than your shoes - it hits deeper than the ocean. Swirling and Enchanting dreampop curls around your heart like little fingers, as warm as rose petal hugs. Touches of Cocteau Twins and Seattle's Melody Unit can be found sliding between Jorg Kohler's guitar work and Jordis Marschner's vocals, as she sings angelic and airy but still so straight and true straight through you. Some samples and programming examples loop and ride through the melodics like a soft sleep drone, ambient slowdive enchantment and then exciting as the fastest meteor shower, gazing into space and seeing only stars.
reviewed by: Marcel Feldmar for The Big Takeover |
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Within the first minute of the opening track, the ‘Maladon’ remix of “Lake of Doubts”, I knew I was listening to an album I would love all the way through. Outerbeats is dreamy pop music from a group called Malory, who hail from Germany but sound nothing like any other music I’ve heard from the land of Can, Kraftwerk and KMFDM.
Inevitably, one can draw comparisons to the sparkling guitars of Lush circa Spooky or the male-female vocal interplay of a Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine, and that’s fine and good. For all its innovation, the genre called any number of things from ‘shoegazer’ to ‘dreampop’ has had little influence on those bands who make it onto the radio here in America. This needs to change. It would be nice to hear “Xirius Polar Station” on a modern rock station, or the US bonus-only remix of “Three Elements” in a club in middle America. Malory drum up nostalgia mostly because corporate radio leaves little to the imagination anymore. They, however, are on the edge of something new—perhaps a new generation is getting ready for their trippy, blissful brand of pop music. Outerbeats will win you over because you’re ready for something good to listen to. reviewed by: Jack Alberson for FAC193 |
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The joy of listening to Malory is that the band fully comprehends that sublime golden rule of art that less is more. There is no trace of overplaying or grandstanding here -- and better yet, no noticeable strain in the non-observance of rock conventions. That's probably because Malory isn't really a rock band, per se.
Reminiscent of the three-chord compositions of Spiritualized, and polished with the melodic sangfroid of Belle and Sebastian, Malory's corners-neatly-folded sound serves them well. Each instrument's arrangement, far from being sparse, is given only enough room in the song as it merits without lessening its importance; it is this house-of-cards approach that distinguishes Malory from bands that simply pound out repetitions as a means to an end. "Space in Your Mind" is a prime example: the song builds slowly from an echoed guitar figure and a programmed synth vamp until a sly bassline slips out of the ether to introduce an earthy drum pattern. When they're satisfied with this minute-and-a-half of atmospherics, the entire band becomes louder -- not some angry, distorted Sturm und Drang, mind you, just more intense. This shifting tide of tempo and feel, we soon learn, is merely a preamble for the two vocals, male and female, that purr about "floating around the space in your mind." The song continues for seven minutes, and by its end the listener should have a picture more vivid than any that the newly-upgraded Hubble telescope can offer. Happily, the same can be said for the remaining ten tracks on this charming album. I have heard others try this Sundays-meet-The-Jetsons approach in an effort to combine girl-pop and spacy Brit-pop, but it very rarely succeeds -- so I'm very pleased that Malory has finally given us an exception to the rule. Given the volume of forethought and taste on display in The Outer Beats, I hope their peers are taking notes. reviewed by: Daniel Arizona for Splendid |
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The balance that Malory must maintain is one that I do not envy. Anything more electronic would be considered techno; anything less so would fall under hackneyed late-Eighties experimentation. There is something beautiful and delicate to each of these tracks –- not in the crystalline sense of the words, rather the exquisite sense. All five members play real instruments, not mock digital versions of the same, which gives Outerbeats a sort of natural texture that one finds in early nineties dreampop bands. Compare, for instance, "Xirius Polar Station" with Curve's "Unreadable Communication" from Cuckoo (1993). Yet Malory has elaborated on this foundation as well as the course set by shoegazers like Ride and My Bloody Valentine, developing a lucid, accessible sound that reflects the particularly apt title of this full-length. Shared between Jörg Kohler and Jordis Marschner, the vocals are breathy male/female mix of yearning, seduction and unpretentious musing. It is the complete antithesis of the last coherent German movement, the Neue Deutsche Welle, which gave us Grauzone, for example, singing about polar bears. Grasping still further for comparisons, "Painted Dreams" has a bit of Simple Minds to it; on "Falling Shine," Pacific Northwesters will likely note similarities to the Seattle band Voyager One. "I Can't Stand" and "Wasted" are lethargic, plodding tracks. They fall next to each other -– a poor production choice (decided by titles, perhaps?) and the only discernible lull on the album. On Outerbeats, Malory make no attempt to disguise their influences; nor are they too timid to build on them. At once a nostalgic daydream and a wistful foray into the future, this album earns high marks all around.
reviewed by: Eric J. Iannelli for Ear Pollution |
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A stunningly gorgeous album of crystalline guitarscapes and smooth electronic grooves from this German group who will immediately appeal to fans of stuff like classic SLOWDIVE. Complete with lovely dual male/female vocals, MALORY create hauntingly spacious, melodic and gently warm guitar pop that stretches out across the sunsets. The production on 'Outerbeats' is top-notch and the group's well-developed songwriting skills are packed with dynamic and depth. And while it's hard to pick a favorite track, the album's closer, 'Argo Night Shuttle' conjoins heavy club beats with the group's ambient guitar pop for what would be a treat on a big-time club soundsystem. Very very cool and more than worthy of your time and attention.
reviewed by: Godsend Online |
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Outerbeats is the second album from German band Malory, following their best-selling Not Here, Not Now release from indie label Clairecords, with Jorg Kohler (vocals, guitar, programming), Jardis Marschner (vocals), Scen Ziesche (bass), Jorg Jakel (percussion), and Daniel Hammer (guitar, programming) as members.
To the untrained ear, each song may not sound too different from the next, but upon closer listening, one can grasp the subtle melodies hidden beneath waves of dreamy, swirling guitar riffs, creating sounds that carry you to a different plane and set your imagination adrift. This is what they call "shoegaze", a sub-genre of dreampop which serves the likes of Lush, My Bloody Valentine, Raid, Chapterhouse, Pale Saints, and Slowdive. Malory sets itself apart by the way they paint layer upon layer of guitars and vocals and guitars and keyboards and guitars and percussion in mesmerizing melodic molds, thus coating over their older, obvious influences and making everything sound hypnotically shiny and new. Outstanding tracks are: Lake Of Doubts - sounding a bit like Xymox (circa Phoenix Of My Heart) with Chapterhouse; Xirius Polar Station has a great build up which can even be used for a downtempo/ chill out set; Painted Dreams just gets you moving; and Space In Your Mind. reviewed by: Leica Palileo for Pinoy Central |
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Malory "Outerbeats" (clairecords, P.O. Box 161372, Sacramento, CA 95816) This German quintet of percussion, bass,guitar and programming make an admirable followup to their debut album from 2000. Lofty floating dream pop walking on weightless waves of elated elongated strumming and drumming. The mix of male and female vocals is delivered in a lazy hazy way that bears sonic similarities to Slowdive. There’s also an added sheen and shimmer as the organic and synthetic elements merge and mingle. A consistently dreamy and lovely experience, if it’s escapist; then god bless it.
reviewed by: George Parsons for Dream Magazine |
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Recently, I read an interview with Neil Halstead (formerly) of Slowdive, where he said that he didn't think that Slowdive was the type of band that has influenced many other bands. If you have any experience at all with Clairecords, than you know that Mr. Halstead was so, so wrong, and Malory are certainly not an exception to the label theme. They take the Slowdive formula (heavily processed and delayed guitars and male/female vocals), add a few electronic beats and textures, and really not much else.
Now don't get me wrong, I think the "Slowdive formula" is an excellent one and consider them one of my all time favorite bands. In theory, another band using the same, or at least a similar formula, would be just as (or at least similarly) good. Unfortunately this is not usually true and the bands who are recycling the formula end up seeming a little hollow. Anyway, with that said, Malory—while heavily influenced by Slowdive—are certainly not without value. I find that if I can forget, for a moment, how much it often sounds like a band trying to sound like Slowdive I find myself really enjoying it. The first song, "Lake of Doubts {Maladon Mix}" and "Deja Vu" in particular are very striking and almost made me forget the Slowdive comparison completely. Other songs made a similar impression like "The Choice You Have," and "Falling Shine," which have a very nice distant, hazy feel. The album is quite consistent and there are no songs that I dislike, it's just that most of the songs don't leave enough of an impression to qualify for any stronger reaction than pleasant ambivalence. I do hate to dwell on a comparison so heavily, so I'll apologize for that now, but I did try to give the CD as impartial a listen as possible. Malory are not a bad band, but they are also not the best band in the world. They are just a tribute to one of the best bands in the world. reviewed by: Pete Baumann for fakejazz.com |
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How many different ways can you go within a certain genre without falling into dry repetition or derivition? Like many other labels that have carved out a specific niche in music, Clairecords is doing just that with shoegaze/dreampop, and surprisingly the answer to the question is "quite a few." Over the course of scores of release, the small label has put out excellent releases that span the genre, even dipping into Projekt-like ethereal ambience and electronic pop music.
Almost a year and a half ago, the label stumbled across the debut of the German band Malory, and after selling many copies of their import debut through their mailorder website, the label decided to pick them up for their next release. Outerbeats is just that release, and it mixes many of the above elements into something that is once again a nice little release for the label. Mixing live percussion with programmed beats, male/female vocals, and sheets of shimmering guitars (of course), the disc mines familiar territory while still managing to create some new and exciting sounds as well. The album starts out with an absolute winner on the track "Lake Of Doubts," and after a thumping beat intro, the track drops off into a lush, two-part male/female vocal harmony in which Jorg Kohler adds warm baritone while Jordis Marschner floats above with wispy highlights. About halfway through, the triple-guitar attack builds into a hazy crescendo and although it isn't anything as loud as what you'd get from other groups, the subdued rise definitely recalls work by Slowdive. A similar formula is worked on "The Choice You Have," but it doesn't make the track any less effective, as a repetitive bassline strums while the two-part vocals again play off one another nicely. Although it's not a huge stumbling point, the points in which the album doesn't quite hold up are when singer Marschner takes lead vocal duties. While she has lovely vocals for backup and chorus work, tracks like "Falling Shine" just don't have quite enough of a strong vocal presence with her in the lead to be as strong. Although they're used sparingly, the electronic beat work on the disc makes for some of the most interesting tracks. The first half of "Painted Dreams" clicks along through the stratosphere with some nice programming and more of the lovely vocal pairing before the second half gives way to live percussion and grounds things. While it doesn't obviously stray a lot from different releases that have come out on the same label, Malory is definitely one of the more dynamic groups on the roster. While I mentioned plenty of drifting moments above, the group does crank up the volume on several tracks, most notibly "Space In Your Mind," which builds with pounding drums before dropping off into a quiet interlude for awhile. Proving there is still fertile room to explore in the crowded dreampop genre, Outerbeats is a solid sophomore release from Malory. reviewed by: Almostcool.org |
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Malory is a band from Germany that reminds me of something like Underworld meets The Sundays meets The Verve. If that makes any sense to you, you’re doing much better than I am. To me this sounds like electronic Brit-pop. And again, it’s really pretty good. It’s one of those CDs that you could take to the office and not worry about offending anyone. Either that or something that you could listen to while you clean your house on a Saturday afternoon.
reviewed by: Dan Magnum for Action Attack Helicopter |
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