Fleeting Joys - Occult Radiance

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 21 / 10 / 2009

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Review

Occult Radiance’ is the second album from Fleeting Joys ,who are John and Rorika Loring who come from Northern California. Tracks were leaked online before this album was released and people went crazy as it was said they were new tracks by the reformed My Bloody Valentine. It is easy to see why people thought that. It opens with ‘The Angels Can Not See You Now’, which sounds somewhere between Creation label-era My Bloody Valentine and early 90s American grunge. ‘You are the Darkness’ has a heart warming late 80s/early 90s indie chart show swagger to it, while ‘Cloudlike Mercury’ is lush and trippy like Lush were and with its hard and driving guitars. ‘Lights Underground’ starts off as a grunge number, but soon develops hints of the Cure and the Beatles at the time of the ‘Revolver’ album. It is dreamy, but with harsh guitars. ‘The Good Kind of Tomorrow’ is bass heavy and, featuring shoegazing guitars, recalls the Boo Radleys. ‘Into Sun and Dark’ is cinematic in sound. Starting off as a post rock number, then progressing into a nu gaze track, it is ambient in tone. ‘Dearly Sedated’ is as grungy as Hendrix. It is what rock’ n’ roll should be about. It is a song that makes you forget your lousy day, as you become lost in the intensity of its notes being played. ‘Destroyer’ is a seductive rocker, with a fast rhythm that captures shoegazes past glories well. ‘All Release’ starts off sounding laid back, shy even, but when it does open up it become much lusher. ‘A Beautiful End’ is big in sound. Like an early shoegaze number with its hushed vocals and waves of soundscapes, it does sound like a lost MBV groove. ‘Luminous L.A.’ is a groove based number with a Pixies-like bass line and strong My Bloody Valentine-style vocals. It ends with ‘Don't Go’ which is soft and fragile and reminiscent of one of those songs in which John Lennon was in love. A fine album of My Bloody Valentine-laced grooves.

Track Listing:-

1 The Angels Cannot See You Now
2 You Are The Darkness
3 Cloudlike Mercury
4 Lights Underground
5 The Good Kind of Tomorrow
6 Into Sun and Dark
7 Dearly Sedated
8 Destroyer
9 All Release
10 A Beautiful End
11 Luminous L.A.
12 Don't Go