aaamusic | On 19, Feb 2011

Boasting a subtly ominous title, The Chemistry Set’s latest offering, ‘This Day Will Never Happen Again’ offers up an hour of simultaneously blissful and fretful psychedelic pop to take the listener on a real journey.

Opener ‘El Retorno’ is a promising track, boasting an introspective yet bouncy jangle, mixing Britpop-style guitars with gentle psychedelia to create something that could be the result of a patchouli-scented jam session between Suede and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin. Despite the undeniable perkiness of the melody, the warmth of the vocals and bass and the sunshine-bright strumming, there is a sense of compelling paranoia at its heart. Perhaps it is the complexity here that initially threw me from ‘Sheer Tazer Luv’, a much more poppy number recalling The Stone Roses’ earlier releases. Hazy organs underpin energetic brass stabs and kaleidoscopic guitars, not to mention a radio-friendly chorus. Thankfully not quite all the less trippy songs feel so awkward, with the surprisingly punchy rock tones of ‘She’s Taking Me Down’ recalling the best of the 60s, albeit with a 90s alt-rock twist to it. The percussion shimmers and stomps around psychedelic rock guitar, throbbing and sprawling basslines and a misty wash of organ. Despite its pop hooks and trippy wordless vocals, it feels more considered as a track, borrowing exotic melodies from all those new age world CDs and making a catchy yet complex song.

In comparison, ‘The World Is Hollow And I Touched The Sky’ once again returns to the more introspective side of life. Washes of cymbal-hiss lap at tom rolls and simple swaying guitar riffs. The vocals sound at once distant yet intimate, and the whole affair is gently trippy, appealing to the indie crowd as much as hippies, especially as the pace picks up for a rockier tone near the middle, but this doesn’t compromise the strangeness as much as emphasise it, as we are led on musical a chase between Deep Purple and Britpop’s quieter side. As for ‘Silver Birch’ and the heartfelt balladry of ‘We Live As We Dream… Alone’, I’m not sure how, but The Chemistry Set manage to hybridise gloomily enthralling English folk song lyricism and mood with modern rock and the epic scope of soundtrack music. Acoustic guitars swirl in a barely-tamed melody, electric guitars wail like the dusty wind, and the drums clatter in a dour march. The vocals are desolate yet not once melodramatic, tuneful and tactful throughout. Instrumental passages add a sense of storytelling to both, spreading out the narrative with evocative orchestration, but the largely traditional style prevents things from getting too overblown, even if the modern and old occasionally jar. The uplifting conclusion of the latter track does some surprising things, but they add a skin-tingling dimension to the track.

As for the title track, ‘This Day Will Never Happen Again’ is almost ridiculously happy. Pop hooks and a lovelorn lyricism blend with climbing scales, agile bass, blissful backing vocals and an overwhelming optimism to create a two-minute respite that almost smells of roses it is so charming, and it leads fluidly onto the unrequited fretting of ‘Seeing Upside Down’. Jaunty 60s meets Radiohead at their most accessible, with hopskip percussion and caresses of skilled guitar, all fronted by a versatile and crystalline voice. The bass is occasionally not as showcased as it should be, providing an understated yet admirably melodic foundation to the airy musings.

‘Look To The Sky’ is a track I can’t quite pin down as soothing or sinister. On the surface, it is as gentle as much of this album with sliding guitar and trippy organs, yet underneath there is a hint of shadow in the alienated lyricism and persistent organ wail.

Three untitled tracks sweeten the deal, putting aside the rather overdone ‘We Luv You!’ to instead bring out some playful experimentation featuring earlier album tracks with slight tweaks in the instrumentation and understated, effects-heavy vocals in a foreign language. This sounds pointless, but the overall effect is in fact very appealing and really brings to the fore the band’s ability to craft beautiful sound tapestries and play with more exotic melodic structure within a recognisable format.

‘This Day Will Never Happen Again’ isn’t without its flaws, and some may find it lacking in visceral attention-seeking. However, for those that persevere, they will be rewarded with a collection of beautiful and intelligent that are experimental without being pretentious, and well-crafted without being show-offy. An hour this nuanced and detailed, it is an hour well-spent. A treat for fans of tie-die and indie rock equally.

Author: Katie H-Halinski