Labels: Sub Pop
Review by: Andy Malcolm
There is a moment at the start of song 2, “It All Feels Right” where it sounds like you are hearing the strains of a distant ice cream van. That’s about right for Washed Out. The sounds of hazed out evenings and eating ice cream. That same song has this odd, almost warped feel to it, drifting in and out, it’s a super smart pop song that Mr. Washed Out has also managed to bugger up a bit, almost as if to suggest he’s a cool dude who isn’t strictly writing pop music. It’s an interesting choice for such an early song, with it’s lazy guitar work loping on through, letting you in on the fact that this might not be a straight forward transition from the excellent “Within and Without”. Paracosm is certainly not as dark as that album, coming across as far more chirpier and comfortable, those are not always great foundations for a record but fortunately they prove inspirational here in producing a ridiculously warm album jammed full of blissful moments. I particularly like the floaty chorus on “Weightless” (neat), where the vocals definitely bring back memories of that Antarctica LP. Though I have to say it’s a bit sneaky when they put in little glitches that sound like those spots you get on a well played vinyl record.
All told, this delivers pretty much what I’d be looking for from a Washed Out album that comes out in the summer. Hurrah!