Album Review
Cyclorama Chris Spear
A few years ago, my husband discovered the French duo Polo & Pan through Pandora. The song “Dorothy” caught his attention so much that he looked them up. He found the music video for it and instantly grabbed me to show me how funny and clever it was. I really liked the music video, but the song was so catchy I started listening to them the next day. The entire album was fantastic, and it grew on me over the years. To this day, it is one of my most-listened-to albums. When I saw Polo & Pan were releasing a new LP, Cyclorama, I was ecstatic, and my excitement was rewarded with a beautifully crafted album that I have been listening to a ton over the past month. The album starts out with a beating heart and gradually introduces us to the song “Côme”. It feels like you are standing at the edge of an enchanted forest and there is a door of magic that takes you to a faraway land. The guitar and horns in “Ani kuni” make me think of old-time westerns. I really like the vocals on this track, especially at the end of the song when they get chopped up. The way the bounce back and forth between the vocal and bells is so playful. I always enjoy when old songs get sampled and sound completely different. “Magic” uses part of the chorus from Pilot’s song of the same title. I love how light and airy the song feels throughout, especially during the build ups. There is some really clever sound design with how they make some of the background voices sound like strings. The arpeggios in “Attrape-rêve” are so beautiful. I love how they change their groove and get layered as the song progresses. The beats on this song are simple but well done. The kick is so bassheavy while sitting under the track it creates a really nice deep effect without being overbearing. The first single from the album, “Tunnel (feat. Channel Tres),” is a bit on the darker side for them, and I really like how it feels. It’s more of a deep house song than most of their music, but it retains their feel with all the echoing swells and metallic arpeggios jumping all over the background. The intro on “Requiem” gets my attention every time. It’s so dark and beautiful it really makes me excited to see how they are growing as musicians. The strings and piano really draw you in throughout and the strange, warbled echoing pads pick you up. “Feel good” is one of my favorite songs on the album. The guitar and organ just make me want to dance every time I hear it. The vocals are sweet and catchy, and I find myself singing along almost every time the song pops up in my playlists. This is definitely one of their more tropical-feeling tracks. Another fantastic track is “Melody”. Polo & Pan’s songwriting has only improved with each release. The way it flows together so seamlessly is making me rethink what needs to be used for
8
August 2021
nashville.outvoices.us
by Polo & Pan
