Actual Water has become, without a doubt, one of my favorite bands of this past decade. In 2008, they self-released their first record, Death Projections, and followed it up with Double Negatives. Both of these albums channeled the works of various German experimental bands as well as the father of ambient music, Brian Eno. On their new album, The Paisley Orchard, they made a gigantic leap, entering a world of mid-80s jangle and 90s brit-pop.
Every track on The Paisley Orchard is both sensational and accessible. The opening track, "Pale Ways" is a garage rock song that blew my mind on the first listen; from the slick guitar riff to the memorizing vocals left me in such awe-- the last time I ever felt such inspiration from a song was when I first heard, "Rock n' Roll Star" by Oasis. One of my favorite tracks on this record is the very Rolling Stones-esque "Brighton" which is based on the book Brighton Rock. It's a simple rock song but it's incredibly addictive. The album closer, "Vari Baby" is a jangly pop track that is nothing short of perfection. It is definitely, I would say, the strongest track off The Paisley Orchard.
I can't seem to find one fault in this record. The ideas here could have been expanded upon, but a half-hour is good enough. I think it's safe to say that Actual Water are the next big band. They're pretty much everything I look for in a band, and I'm quite surprised they have not been signed yet-- hopefully that will change.
[Actual Water Myspace]
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