PAUW - Macrocosm Microcosm (2015)

The album opens on the ethereal Memories, which introduces itself by means of a hypnotic riff akin to the likes of Temples and Toy. “Lights shining bright at the other side” sings frontman Brian Pots, with keyboardist Kees Braam occasionally underpinning his vocals with identical synth lines. The chorus is equal parts hypnotic, woozy and catchy, ensuring that the album is given a memorable start. At just over three and a half minutes, Memories is the co-shortest song on the album; however, it’s filled to the rafters with melody and memorable moments. The longer Today Never Ends follows, featuring an opening drum roll and fuzzy, groove-laden bass courtesy of Rens Ottink and Eszl du Vois, respectively. The pace during the verse is slower than on Memories, with Pots taking you on a mesmerising journey through space and time. “We will rise with the sun” sings the floppy haired frontman, his vocal tone evoking spirits from the 1960s with effortless ease. If this song doesn’t want to make you undertake a shamanic ritual as the sun rises in the east, then we’re not sure what will. Kees Braam’s synth melody roughly halfway is extremely vibrant and hypnotic, with it underpinned by an extremely tight rhythm section. Visions goes on to make use of brief ambient noise in the intro, before leading into a very Temples-esque melody. Handclaps feature every now and then, with the backbone of the verse provided by Braam, Ottink and du Vois. Pots’ vocals are very much outstanding throughout the whole album, with his woozy tone carrying every song from start to finish. His band, on the other hand, are equally outstanding, with this musical skill best demonstrated on the pulsating Glare. Du Vois’ more distorted bassline and Ottink’s upbeat drums are held together by a flute-esque melody courtesy of Braam, all of it nicely underpinning Pots’ jangly guitar stabs. “Can you see what’s across the field?” asks Pots, continuing, “That’s where your thoughts and your dreams are concealed”. An extremely fuzzy guitar riff section subsequently ensues, encompassing bucketloads of ethereal hypnotism and moments almost reminiscent of (yet again) Temples, in particular the early B-Side Ankh.

TRACKLIST
1. Memories 3:41
2. Today Never Ends 6:00
3. Visions 4:12
4. Glare 4:03
5. Intents 3:37
6. Shambhala 6:47
7. Abyss 6:09
8. High Tide 5:23
9. Glare Pt. 2 7:38