Portland Vows - Cuckoo

 

Released: July 17

Returning with his first full album in roughly three years, Portland Vows brings us a new body of work that is equal parts hopeful and melancholy at the same time. Each track expemplifies this dynamic through a delicate combination of tones and textures - bright little lights, thin and warbly pads, and an atmospheric background that seems to alternate between a full presence and a barley perceptible addition. It is unclear what exactly the theme behind these compositions is, shifting around consistently while still maintaining the air of melancholic perseverance. 

Outside of the textural sensations and fractured melodies, certain broken little pieces of vocal creep their way in through various means. The first track that introduces this s the title track, “Cuckoo.” As the pads drone on with a particular intensity  the vocals come in slowly as a woman’s voice repeats, “where are you” harmoniously with the soft pads and are gently joined by a beautiful thriving element that encompasses a wide variety of high and low tones with an oddly joyful sense of enthusiasm. Or at least it feels oddly joyful in the greater context of the album. From here, we begin to delve into some of the much more ambient inclinations of the album, beginning with “Everything Is The Case,” which extolls the tension of moods present throughout in a manner unlike previous tracks. It is both dark and haunting, but also heavenly and seemingly uplifting as well. 

The album continues on this mixing of moods all the way to end with “December,” a track that feels somehow the most orchestral of all. The cavernous piano sound makes up much of this final piece, with the remainder of the track seemingly built around it. The small little delayed reverses add a textural element that creates a perception of small anomalies in an otherwise dense and impenetrable cloud of ambient noise enveloping the entire track. The textural intricacy at play here is wonderful, making for a track (really the album as a whole) that is far more complex than expected but still concrete enough to really latch onto.