GENRE | AMBIENT POP-JAZZ CHILLWAVE
VERDICT | CANADIAN MAKE-OUT MUSIC
LABEL | JAGJAGUWAR
RELEASE | 8.20.13
It’s not every day you come across a band that can successfully combine indie-pop synthesizers with jazz-style saxophone solos, but the Canadian foursome DIANA pulls it off.
On their first full-length album, Perpetual Surrender, the Toronto quartet melds the most intimate of electronica with the ever-so-sweet spontaneity of smooth jazz.
Throughout their debut the retro drum sounds, overblown guitar and sax solos, synths and hiccupping female vocals of singer Carmen Elle appear amid eight tracks of dense and lush textures.
That being said, the album also has its more dance-oriented moments, like tracks “Strange Attraction” and “Anna.” Although there are some genuinely sublime moments—“Born Again” locates the midpoint between the Cocteau Twins and Avalon-era Roxy Music—the closing song “Curtains” wraps the whole business up with more of an uber-mellow whimper than a bang. If you’re looking for more inspired and rocking tunes that sound like an angel on an acid trip, stick with St. Vincent.
If you’ve got a craving for ambient background music that has its good moments, Perpetual Surrender will get you where you wanna go.