Best tracks: Cristina, 23 Floors Up
Since January 2013 with the release of the single Cristina I've been excited by the prospect of a full-length studio effort from Teleman. For me Cristina is right up there as one of the best singles of 2013. At the time, the chilling organ intro, followed by Thomas Sanders' naked, vulnerable vocals knocked me sideways. The song builds up slowly with muted guitars, drums and synths creating a mesmerising sound. From that moment on, I was a fan of Teleman, hungry for more...
The rest of the album is pretty good, making a pleasant listen. The general sound of the album continues the vibe of Cristina, being chilled and synthy. It's a very polished sound which producer and ex-Suede man Bernard Butler should get credit for. Working alongside the band, he's managed to take 10 well-written songs and turn them into haunting, synthy slow-dance tracks.
The band's origins lie in the ashes of the band Pete and the Pirates, however the sound is radically different, the only similar trait being the voice of Thomas Sanders. In my opinion there is no doubting that this set-up suits his voice far better than the trad-indie rock stylings of Pete and the Pirates. The more stripped-back, electronic instrumentation suits the vulnerability that his voice exudes. I'm a big fan of his performance on this album.
Despite all of this, my only worry is that in places the album begins to sound slightly samey. The polite guitar and synth build-up formula gets slightly tired by the time you get to Lady Low, depending on what mood you listen to it.
However, this still remains a strong debut from Teleman. Tracks like Cristina and 23 Floors Up are stupendous efforts. Like Cristina did to me when it first came out early last year, it's made me intrigued as to what's coming next
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