Exuberant Psych-Pop

When listening to Mr. Gnomes’ new album, The Heart of a Dark Star, one is immediately struck by how much sound they’re able to generate. The album is loud, both because of the sheer volume of the thing, but also because of the vast amount of layers the band tacks on to every track. What’s remarkable is that the band is only comprised of two people – lead singer/guitarist Nicole Barille and drummer/pianist Sam Meister. The two clearly have a good rapport because, in addition to creating great, carefully crafted music, they sound like they’re having a ton of fun doing it.

Right from the get go, it is easy to tell what kind of album this is going to be. On opener “Melted Rainbow,” a noise track signals the beginning of the song and the record. It sounds like a electric toy being revved up, getting ready to burst forward – and burst forward it does. The heavy beat kicks in, then the guitars, and then Barille’s impeccably crafted vocal harmonies. The song, like many of the other songs on the album, doesn’t have a rigidly structured form. Rather it washes over you like a wave of sound, organically rising and falling until the song ends and flows into one of the a-cappella four interludes, which then flow into the next song.

The best tracks on the album are those that are able to combine Mr. Gnomes raw power and psychedelic tendencies with pop sensibilities. But let’s focus on the mid album show stopper “Follow.” The 6/8 time suggests a 50’s ballad, and the female lead vocals brings the band Cults to mind (a similar duo, that make similarly great music). What separates Mr. Gnomes from both the overdone territory of 50s balladry and from Cults, is that their delivery is much more heavily produced – with intricate backing vocals weaving between the lead melody and the energetic drive of the instrumentals. When Barille sings “I love you, I love you, I love you,” the words and music careen toward you and hit you right in the chest. You really feel all the lyrics, even if you can’t understand them. This is visceral and heartfelt.

The record is fun almost despite its formal elements. This is not easy music to pull off. It may sound chaotic, but – and this is perhaps the most difficult thing to execute – it is fairly rigid and meticulously produced. There are noise tracks and vocal effects bubbling beneath the surface, briefly showing their faces here and there. They’re flowing, but difficult forms. There are physically demanding drum and vocal parts. It’s incredible that this band is able to take all of these elements, the noise and swells, and turn them into one single melodic force. That this album so fun and so exuberant is equally, if not more, incredible.