Located at a midpoint between the Avalanches’ giddy sampledelia and chillwave’s trapped-on-VHS arrested development, the music on the Go! Team’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike was so rich with personality, the guy who actually made it became an afterthought. We talked about car chases, Saturday morning cartoons, or Archie Bell & the Drells; Ian Parton, not so much. Subsequent LPs Proof of Youth and Rolling Blackouts were tasked with proving Parton's project was a viable band rather than a really good idea, and the polite reception of both felt fitting: Both somehow sounded too much like the Go! Team’s debut and not enough like it, unsure of whether to top Thunder, Lightning, Strike or move on.
On The Scene Between, Parton has gone back to his original method of composing, recording and producing all of the music himself, save for the vocals, which means he’s purposefully inviting comparisons to Thunder, Lightning, Strike. And yet, the results feel like his most truly songwriterly work yet. Without context, you’d think the Go! Team of T**he Scene Between were just a jubilant group of British indie pop enthusiasts emerging from their local DIY scene (the fact that they share their name with a Calvin Johnson project doesn't hurt).
His range as a composer, rather than an auteur or producer, has never been more evident. The minty fresh melodies of "What D’You Say?" and "Did You Know?" posit the Go! Team as having more in common with Camera Obscura or Alvvays than any crate-digger. On "Her Last Wave", they’re all of a sudden a dream-pop act. It’s all connected by Parton’s chunky drums and chaotic, buzzing production, roughage to the confectioner's pop.
But it’s a cohesive listen that doesn't quite translate into a cohesive statement of purpose. The presence of three interludes assumes the record is meant to be played in sequence, but the individually strong moments of The Scene Between never communicate with or build off each other enough. Considering it's bookended by its strongest tracks, The Scene Between might actually be a more satisfying listen on shuffle. Still, with Parton aiming to make "delicious, curvy, undeniable, sunshiny songs," you can’t say he missed the mark too often here. "I thought catchy melodies are the hardest thing to do in music," Parton admitted. Perhaps. The more important thing is to connect, and Parton believes the only way to do that is to make sure the power is never, ever off.
