Apar

Album review

Despite the three-year gap between the release of 2010's Subiza and 2013's Apar, it sounds like the Spanish pop-electronic combo Delorean never took a break from recording. Apar is just as dream-inducingly lush and layered as Subiza, which was very lush and layered indeed. As before, the band take the best parts from the baggy dance styles of the '90s, add shimmering dream pop textures, bleepy bedroom techno electronics, and candy-sweet indie pop melodies sung by Ekhi Lopetegi in a very heartfelt whisper, then whip it up into a light-as-air confection that's sweeter than super-sugary candy. It's an approach that didn't need much alteration, maybe just a little refining here and there. To that end, the rhythms on Apar are more insistent, Lopetegi's vocals are louder in the mix, and instead of using chopped-up samples of female vocals, they brought in actual people to add backing vocals, and on "Unhold," Chairlift's Caroline Polachek takes the lead to do a very convincing Liz Fraser impression. These small changes give their sound a more organic feel, and the songs here do have a little bit more of a punch. Like Subiza though, the overall feel of the album is the hook. Sure, some of the songs (like the hypnotically catchy "Dominion" or or the almost disco-fied "Walk High") stand out a bit more than others, but it's the cumulative appeal of the album that really makes it work. So, Apar is basically Subiza II and that's just fine. They could have left the sound and approach completely alone, since it's a formula that works perfectly well and can/should be repeated over and over. Dancing and dreaming at the same time is always lovely, and with Apar, Delorean have again provided a perfect soundtrack for just such a pursuit.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo