Soft Blue Shimmer
Love
Lives in the Body
(Other People)
Love Lives in the Body is Soft Blue Shimmer’s second album, and as I’ve said before, this band’s sound is one that I love! I have trouble writing about them. My love for them does not elicit any kind of narrative. I just enjoy their music. It seems to be deeply rooted in me. I remember a time when I was in my early twenties and in love with the idea of love. I had experienced, in a big way, that early electric bliss that comes with a fresh crush/relationship and on the other side of the coin, around the same time, I had gone through a lot of serious heartbreak and loss. I became a mess of emotions and conflict. Everything in life became exceedingly poignant and powerful. Inevitably, all of the songs I loved from that era that evoked any direct emotions from those experiences, all still tap into those vivid days. I began to amass a soundtrack for those times. Songs that poked the bruises of those emotions were of a wide variety of sounds, but are all linked in their own genre that only makes sense to me. Soft Blue Shimmer’s warm sound envelops me into that world – a world of my deepest desires and regrets - the things that bring tears to my eyes. Their songs mean a lot to me in a deeply embedded way. Perhaps, they’ve stumbled upon just the right dose of bittersweet. I miss the feeling of feeling so much. Age and accumulation of experiences, at least for me, has numbed me, despite my best intentions to avoid it. Hearing music like this makes me feel alive. In some ways, I need to keep that bruise going.
Love Lives in the Body, indeed. Much like Soft Blue Shimmer’s music lives in my body. Main vocalist, Meredith takes a breath in and out to open their second album, before we are set into their stunning musical realm. It’s like a ‘here we go’ prep. Their wash of soft buzzing guitars, plush drums, and Meredith’s heavenly vocals are always pleasing, and it’s about then when I realize that I will be listening to these songs a lot!
The slow unfurling of the pre-LP single, “Prism of Feeling,” is beautiful as it blooms into a sound that one wants to hear again and again. This is similar to the rising earnestness of “Cloudless.” “9090” is the most upbeat song, while “Memory / Fantasy” is quite melancholy with matching incredibly visual and poetic lyrics. Definitely my early favorite.
The album unfolds in an unusual way. It leans toward the dreamy side early, and increases the tempo and pop hooks as it progresses. SBS, have found a magical balance between the shoegazey elements I love and the crisp fizz of indie pop, which I love as much. They remind me a bit of 90s legends, Majesty Crush, only without the creepy and sinister lyrics. I feel a profound loss in these songs, thought I am likely projecting, as they explore not just the emotional loss of a loved one, but the physical one as well. It’s a thought-provoking thread to consider and deeply felt. Maybe that’s part of what poking the bruise is all about. So often, we mourn the emotional loss, but not the little things, like just the right touch to the forearm at just the right time. Love Lives in the Body evokes all of that.
The dichotomy between the darkness of
the words and the bright music is fantastic - something that has always appealed to me! On their Bandcamp page they
let us know that they’re here to make you
think about stuff or forget about stuff.
Could not be more accurate.
Timeless music! Their records are
like the best candy that we all try to save to consume last.
(https://softblueshimmer.bandcamp.com/album/love-lives-in-the-body)
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