I Dreamed We Fell Apart

According to their bio, Chris Dumont, one half of Memphis, works as a carousel operator in Central Park, which will come in handy should the group decide to shoot a video for this album's opener, "The Second Summer," a fey afternoon delight easily in line with Belle & Sebastian that would be perfectly accompanied by images of a mod model rising and falling on a beautifully decorated merry-go-round stallion. Of course, it would all be shot in grainy 16mm film, which is how most of this disc sounds, even though the twee pop of this duo, which also includes Star frontman Torquil Campbell, is clearly the product of electronics not even conceived of when the early motor-powered calliopes were assembled. At times, the modern sound and vintage songwriting clashes, like on the gently strum and sung "For Anyone Eighteen" which, puzzlingly, features a double-time click track beneath the plaintive ruminations. But on the swing-time "Nada," the analog tones and precision-crafted delays add a welcome layer that bellows even the two saxophone solos. While most would classify this record under "folktronica," Memphis don't attempt to strip down the clicks and plucks. Instead, they go for the big pop sound of Burt Bacharach and George Martin to make something almost as ambitious as hiring a real horn section.