“I felt the seasons change by the way you turned your eyes”
Lifted from In Praise of More – their third long player – latest release “To An Evergreen” is archetypal of Engineers’ new direction, as informed by the dream pop band’s recently reshuffled line-up. Song-writer and band leader Simon Phipps displays a vocal that is at once understated, in synthesised monotone, and yet dramatically powerful, set to the backdrop of what becomes a strangely soaring piece. Beginning in an atmospheric and minimalist fashion with sparse beats and the carefully picked strings of a pastoral acoustic guitar, the song evolves in nature as the icy and immersive landscapes of Ulrich Schnauss (new member: keyboards) and Mark Peters (electric guitars) wash over the considered instrumentation. As the title suggests, the colourful contemplation of “To An Evergreen” very much appeals to the senses; the song’s seasonal themes are emblematically mirrored by the apposition of the music’s seismic changes and astonishing consistencies. Ethereal, ice cool, and staggeringly beautiful.
Out now on Kscope.
[rating 5]
