Tacoma Radar |
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Since first coming across the Pilot House EP two or three years ago, I’ve never quite been able to shake the idea that Tacoma Radar were always going to be a band to tread in the footsteps of Mazzy Star or Galaxy 500, willingly or not. And ever so slightly, that thought still lingers, but after a long time in waiting, the debut album from Tacoma Radar is a lovely surprise because while those influences are still there, it doesn’t justify its existence simply as imitation. Instead they present nine fine-spun songs with a plenitude of feeling.
Their style remains firmly encamped in ‘dreamy’, though, and it’s no bad thing. The tempo varies subtly between slow and mid-paced, with Kenny Anderson’s drumming remaining perpetually understated, maintaining a solid rhythm but never overbearing the songs. Guitars ring out their full chords, sometimes with a haze of distortion, but never with a flood. Tiny streams of slide guitar and violins trickle down the sides too, adding further textures, before Jennifer Cosgrove’s tender vocals fit comfortably amidst the music. There are tiny blemishes to be heard within it all, but it’s an honest performance. The fact that the vocals didn’t turn into multi-tracked monsters bathing in reverb in order to seek some level of shoe-gazing perfection is a godsend. Instead it sounds natural, human, and laced with character.
Of the songs, the most immediately infectious seem to be ‘So Much Water’, ‘Take Your Time’, ‘Who’s Gonna Hold the Line’, and ‘Pilot House’, due to a combination of lovely guitar parts and intelligent melodies building slowly to crescendos. But it’s not a project designed to create hit singles. The quality is steady throughout and for those familiar with the band, No One Waved Goodbye is unlikely to disappoint. They’ve continued in the style they originally set out in a few years ago, and finally pulled together a collection strong enough to warrant a fuss. With its soft, gentle edges, the songs provide sounds good enough to immerse yourself in, and while it’s difficult to say whether Tacoma Radar will ever step out of the shadows of their peers, it’s a fine record.
Steven McCarron
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