This is what might happen if Cocteau Twins’ Liz Fraser got to put a guest vocal on a recent Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album. And no, that doesn’t mean it sounds dated, in case you were wondering.
The vocal is quite wonderful, as are the lyrics. They swoop around a carefully constructed dreamscape of a backing track with some elan. There is something oriental about the way the vibrato concludes and within the choice of melody, too. This imbues the track with an exotic, other-worldly charm, which is only enhanced by the judicious use of reverb.
‘Can’t fight the music / When it flows’: damn straight! The chorus washes over you with an epic calm that then gently explodes into a scintillating exploration of melodic development that sounds like joy. Just when you think the exultant tune has resolved, it leaps up to an even higher plateau…
I felt the urge to close my eyes and get lost in Kingdom of Moments, not least because it gave me a moment all of my own. The interesting thing about the production, meanwhile, is that it’s actually quite manic and complex underneath the calming veneer.
There is sparing use of harmony on the vocal which warms things up even more, but the main hooks are proud to stand, ice-cool, on their own.
A stunning collection of moments strung together on a chain of pop nous. Gorgeous.
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