PATTERN FORMS - PEEL AWAY THE IVY (CD)

"The Pattern Forms is a collaborative project between Ed Macfarlane and Edd Gibson of Friendly Fires and Jon Brooks of The Advisory Circle. Peel Away the Ivy is the culmination of a fruitful collaboration that followed on from a debut single for Ghost Box's Other Voices series in 2015. On the surface this is a romantic pop album, but its roots lie in both bands' shared love of soundtracks and electronic library music of the 70s and 80s. The artists bring their own distinct sensibilities to the project but find a common ground that conjures up something entirely new to both. A balance of powerful pop hooks and sonic experimentation that masterfully evoke the melancholy of lost summers and lonely outsider reveries. Heartrending ballads are lifted away on soaring electronics with beautiful pastoral and kosmiche instrumentals forming perfect atmospheric interludes. Brooks and Macfarlane both have proven track records as outstanding producers and the sound here is, unsurprisingly, breath-taking." (label info)