Grungegaze? That’s a term I haven’t encountered before, but now I can’t think about Palm Trees In Moscow in any other way. After all, if such a generic label suggests a sound that takes in both the shimmering, ornate, and cavernous sonic soundscapes that graced albums by bands such as My Bloody Valentine or Ride and the more direct impact of the classic grunge sound or that of post-hardcore bands such as Quicksand, then this is surely it.
And if such a meeting of seemingly opposite ends of the musical spectrum seems an odd juxtaposition to try and pull off, if the ethereality of the dreamier shoegaze world and the sucker punch sonics of the grunge realm seem to make for unlikely bedfellows, all I can say to you is…Duh! Of course, they are, but it is undoubtedly such a challenge, such a chance to blend sonic oil and water that appeals to Chris Franz, the man behind this mercurial music.
The result is a song that is angular and often unsettling, certainly unpredictable, and for every graceful and grand sweep of silky sounds, for every gossamer mesh of music, there is an equal amount of bombast and incendiary salvos, angularity and left-field creativity.
“Compassion Fatigue” is a glorious affair, glorious but strange. But strange is good, right? Strange is off-beat and unconformist. It is rebellious and forward-thinking. It is eccentric and adventurous. And why would you want your music any other way?
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