Strange Ranger - Remembering The Rockets - LP (2019)

Labels: Tiny Engines
Review by: MH

Strange Ranger are former winners of my non-existent favourite albums of 2018 LPs awards with the rather excellent, meandering and weary “Daymoon” so it’s only natural that I didn’t get around to listening to their last EP at all and am only recently finally giving their new album a listen (EDIT: Even this last statement is way out of date and I’m finally getting around to finishing off this review which has been sitting in Drafts since the start of 2020. Today is May 2nd). The sound is in keeping with “Daymoon” – the feel is melancholy but perhaps a touch less weary than their last LP and certainly more mellow. There are also moments of brightness such as the summery opener and the Lemonheads-y indie pop of “Sunday” which comes up early on. I say “brightness” about “Sunday” but a closer look at the lyrics suggests otherwise – alone and pondering a futile existence. Really then, the record is a natural successor to “Daymoon” – can’t see you being disappointed here if you were into that one. I would say though that a couple of tracks break the mould a little – “Ranch Style Home” is all wobbly whereas “Message To You” where Fiona Woodman takes lead vocals is wonderfully restrained and melancholy. “Planes In Front Of The Sun” and “Sunday” are two of the best songs I heard in 2019.