Over the last 38 years or so since I first bought records by The Blue Orchids and The Orchids I've often gotten them confused, no they don't sound the same. So imagine my surprise at being sent new albums by both bands to review in the same week, so today I am reviewing the two bands back to back and trying not to be too confused, the reviews won't be posted on the same day, as Angus Tempus Memoir (Souvenirs From The Subconscious) was out at the start of July. I'm also glad that I wasn't also sent the new album by Blue.
The Orchids of course are Glasgow fey pop legends and this is the first new album for eight years, it doesn't disappoint. The current line-up is James Hackett, Ronnie Borland, Chris and Paul Quinn, John Scally and Keith Sharp, Pauline Hynds Bari and Ian Carmichael who also produces the album.
Dreaming kind opens the gently wistful Didn't We Love You as the gazelle like guitars soar and twist as they make sure we know they don't want to be like you at all, not one bit, no matter how catchy and sublime this is.
Limitless #1 (Joy) is hazy shimmering summer fun, nice and floaty and as suggested by the title it's wondrously upbeat seeking out that joy.
What Have I Got To Do is brittle frail love song full of hope but with edges of despair, that she may not return the love he wishes to shower her with.
This Boy Is A Mess is sung as if they are still young enough for this teenage style love song full of innocence, with harmony backing vocals, James Hackett's vocals still sound young enough thankfully.
I Never Thought I Was Clever is a lush very Aztec camera style gently intoxicating love song with the odd bitter regret thrown in to justify the title, as you've been caught out again, with Ronnie Borlands backing vocals seemingly multitracked into a beautiful harmonious choir.
Echos (Have Hope) gently beguiles and twists its way to the clap along hymnal part, with Pauline Hynds Bari and James Hackett's backing vocals providing the Echos.
Isn't It Easy is lush, whispered ministrations of the soul, sparsely backed and totally restrained strings swoop in.
Something Missing has a very Orange Juice style opening, for a tremulous troubled song, as he tries to figure out what's missing from the love they once had, as this builds I love the flight the guitars take, I'm sure this will sound brilliant with a room full of fans singing along.
I Should Have Thought feels like ethereal funk as everything's gone awry, not sure which of the Quinn's playing the timpani on this, but it works brilliantly as Pauline replies to James claims.
I Don't Mean To Stare was one of the stand out tracks on the recent Under The Bridge compilation, that my work I-pod seems to love to play, so for me this already feels like a hit, a gorgeous love song.
As he repeats over and over Didn't I See The Love. This really should be a huge hit.
A Feeling I Don't Own has treated vocals, a haze like gentle psychedelic edge to it, that breaks down into a more ambient pastoral place before they drums come back in to tell us all to go have fun in the sun.
I Want You, Need You is almost as begging and pleading on your knees prostrating yourself song of love and lust as the title suggests, only it's sung to the super pretty laid back and lush backing to woo you too.
Limitless #2 Hurt is a reprise that in this case is a sparse almost not there stripped back shoegaze dub reversal of the Joy version, this is the Hurt that it's all gone wrong, but you wish it hadn't, in places vocally it seems to be mirroring George Michaels Careless Whisper, but with the music being far more whispered, this is a gloriously beautiful conclusion to this gentle loving and intoxicating album.
Find Out More at https://www.theorchids.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/theorchids/about/ https://theorchidsglasgow.bandcamp.com/album/dreaming-kind
