by Brett Abrahamsen
Shoegaze and slowcore - unlike, say, psych rock - are rather limited genres whose very parameters seem to ensure that any practitioners will merely end up aping Slowdive, Low, Red House Painters, and so forth. Which makes the self-titled debut album from Richmond’s Visiting Hour all the more remarkable. Sure, the influence of the above-named bands is present here, but the band somehow manage to create something that breathes new life into abused cliches. There are genuine masterpieces on this album.
Opener “Labrador Sea,” for instance, is impeccable. It feels symphonic and magniloquent, the formal perfection of experiments that began thirty five years ago. There’s also terrific songwriting on display. After an ominous droning intro, “Hildegard” turns into a jangle-pop song. The same can be said of “Long Spring,” minus the droning intro. Some of these songs exude an endless sense of melancholy. Such is the case of “Kneel,” a poignant cross between the title track of RHP’s Down Colorful Hill and MBV’s “Come In Alone”. It is enough to make one pause and contemplate the fact that this band is, essentially, unknown.
“Crow” is another track in a similar vein, conveying the haunting sensation of being swallowed by a black hole. The band’s diversity is impressive, they seem equally adept at Stone Roses-like pop and MBV-style nightmares. The intriguingly titled “Summary of Fields” seems to be a unique fusion of Spiderland with perhaps a touch of Mazzy Star. This band also has teeth - the power of a track like “Rust” should silence anyone who thinks this is merely an exercise in ethereal bliss.
Overall, this is an excellent album. I generally have something negative to say even about albums I like, but I can’t find any faults here - the lyrics are perhaps not great, but they’re mostly inaudible. This is a criminally under-appreciated band, and this record serves as a gigantic summa - the apotheosis, perhaps - of decades of experiments in mood and atmosphere. This album is a hidden gem - hear it at once.