In the fall of 2011, the last thing the world needed was a song called "Videotapes" that sounded a little bit like a lost Human League hit dubbed onto an old, worn-out cassette. This kind of idea wasn't exactly novel: Chillwave had broken and crested, VHS nostalgia was inescapable, and bands claiming the tag "dream pop" were cropping up like dandelions in springtime-- was it really possible that none of them had already written something called "Videotapes"?
It's a testament to Portland's Blouse, then, that the murky earworm bearing that particular name managed to stand out even among the crowded crop of hypnagogic pop. Maybe that's because, like "Videotapes", all the songs on their unexpectedly fresh self-titled debut were driven by the tension of opposing forces, as the heat generated from radiant, sun-bursting synths collided with the airy cool of Charlie Hilton's vocals. Blouse found a balance between texture and melody: here was a band that clearly cared about atmosphere, but never at the expense of a solid, Top Gun soundtrack-worthy hook.
With their second full-length Imperium, though, the band is making a conscious push to distance itself from those electro-tinged beginnings. Blouse have nixed the synths and drum machines: Multi-instrumentalist and producer Jacob Portrait (who also plays bass in Unknown Mortal Orchestra) proudly announces in the press release that the record was made entirely with "instruments that don't plug into the wall." Sure, selling your proverbial turntables to buy guitars is enough of a sophomore album cliché to get a mention in LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge", but luckily Blouse's guitar-driven make-over hasn't rendered them unrecognizable. That much is clear from the jump: Bouncy opener "Imperium" takes some of the familiar elements of Blouse's best tunes-- namely sweeping strums and lurching, rubbery basslines-- and blends them into a gloomy swirl. "Are you one of us?/ Are you one of us?" Hilton chants as the song winds down, in a haunting monotone that's half Hope Sandoval, half creepily malfunctioning automaton. Though Hilton's out in front, Portrait is Blouse's secret weapon, concocting the immersive textures that give Imperium its distinct atmosphere. The driving "Eyesite" sounds like it was recorded in the frigid but sparkling depths of an icy cave, while the up-tempo ripper "Arrested" has the loose, unvarnished feel of a band jamming in a the garage-- albeit one equipped with an enviable pedal board.
And yet, there's a lack of variety in Imperium's marble-cool tone that makes it feel more one-note than Blouse's debut. It's laudable for a band to push itself out of its comfort zone on its second album-- there are artists out there who lay such a lazily trendy coating of synthesizers over their songs that the electricity in their practice spaces should be cut just to stir creativity. But Blouse weren’t one of those bands. Their debut showed the promise of growth, and their “no synth” policy may have hemmed them in unnecessarily. When Blouse headlined one of Captured Tracks' 5 year anniversary shows earlier this month, the contrast was clear: The new, thoughtfully structured songs showcased the band’s ear for sticky hooks, but only when Portrait plugged in his tower of synths to play older track like "Time Travel" and "Into Black" did the music bloom.
