Album Review: The Sea of Memories by Pallers

Naturally, it was Baudelaire who “…could barely conceive of a type of beauty in which there is no melancholy.” And Pallers’ transcendent new record resplendently bears out his rather ethereal observation. The Swedish duo is (thankfully) not shy about openly referencing Slowdive’s gossamer, echo-chamber histrionics on “Humdrum” or Depeche Mode’s elegiac romanticism on “Come Rain, Come Sunshine,” and the specter of 4D haunts in Pallers’ ability to conjure atmospherics of lasting, exquisite grandiosity. Finally, the soundtrack to your most ineffable longings.

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Picking up where their 2008 EP Humdrum left off and building on the promise of lead-off single "Come Rain, Come Sunshine," Swedish electro-pop outfit Pallers raise the bar with full-length debut The Sea of Memories. The title aptly captures the feel of the record, as shimmering keyboards, driving percussion, and dreamy noises coalesce into a richly atmospheric, surprisingly warm soundscape that would be right at home among the ocean waves. These tones propel wistful vocals delivering lyrics yearning for times gone by and searching for comfort, conjuring the image of a message in a bottle.

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Through assorted projects and roles, Johan Angergård of the Legends, Club 8, and Acid House Kings-- not to mention the head of Labrador Records-- has built a cottage industry out of mining fragile, lovely corners of pop's past. His newest endeavor, the synth-pop duo Pallers, has really hit the nail on the head. Joined by longtime friend Henrik Mårtensson, the group's debut album, The Sea of Memories, couldn't be more aptly titled-- these two wistful romantics are drowning in it.

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Swedes Johan Angergård and Henrik Mårtensson produce elegiac synthetic pop songs about loss, sadness, and (possibly) melting glaciers. Last year, they even released a one-off, 70-seconds long free Christmas single titled, "Artic Hymn," which pretty much encapsulated their entire manifesto. It might be an unimaginative cliché to associate "Scandinavia," "electronica" and "melancholia" by now, but confronted with Pallers' well-crafted and prismatic offerings, it's unavoidable.

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