There’s a bit of a trend towards late-1980’s nostalgia on the independent scene lately. Bands like Wild Nothing and M83 do a fair job of approximating the work of groups from labels like 4AD and Creation, but the resulting material comes off as more slavish tribute than distinct output.
Frankie Rose deftly avoids that trap. She’s not above appropriating a few techniques and flourishes, but her work is her own. The Cocteau Twins would never have been as confident and propulsive as Rose is on the lead single, and her arrangements show a level of competence and wit that just wasn’t present back then.
She doesn’t limit herself to a specific time period, though. The stunning vocal harmonies on “Gospel/Grace” owe more to the atmospherics of Lida Husik and Lush than they do to anything from the Reagan years, and “Apples for the Sun” wouldn’t be out of place on a Boards of Canada record. Continued...