Serdimontana: On The Sunny Side

Serdimontana describe themselves on their bandcamp page as playing a variety of styles, from (to quote) “thoughtful progressive rock and sloppy psychedelia to new-wave and charming dream-pop�. I’m not even totally sure what ‘sloppy psychedelia’ is, but I would certainly categorize much of what this Russian band create as ‘charming dream pop’. From opener “ Hello World� there’s a warmth and charm that comes through in the dated but evocative synth sounds and rather hazy but effective vocals. The bass guitar playing is quite funky and prominent in the mix, and shimmering guitars are also placed to the fore where necessary. Most importantly, the melodies (usually keyboard led) are consistently strong and stay in the memory.

I detect plenty of influences at play here - from 70’s synth pioneers such as Jean-Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream, through to 80’s atmospheric pop such as Scritti Pollitti, Dream Academy and The Beloved, through more modern mainstays of ‘chill out� compilations such as Röyksopp and Air, and on occasions (the languid, jangling “Hammock� for instance) current Aussie favourites Tame Impala. However, Serdimontana have definitely managed to create their own sound, and inject an energy to the playing that stops things ever getting dull or soporific. The album title is also very apt, there is a real feeling of positivity and ‘thing’s getting better’ that comes across in the music, and is certainly welcome at this point in time. Well worth investigating if you have a penchant for quirky, atmospheric pop rock with a healthy dollop of psych and electronica on the side.

Tracklist:
1.Hello World
2.Desert Island
3.Right Now
4.Love
5.A Million Of Stars
6.Purple Sea
7.Hammock
8.Reunification
9.Undercover
10.A Normal Day

Added: March 11th 2021
Reviewer: Tom De Val
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 759
Language: english

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