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Melbourne duo Superstar have just dropped their second LP Table For Two, released through the label Bedroom Suck. It can only be likened to experiencing one of those sensory deprivation float tanks (not that I have, but I do imagine it’d be pretty on point). Ambient and breezy, this LP takes you away from wherever you are and places you on the shore of a tropical beach you’ve never even heard of. With song titles like Cool Memories, Glistening Bliss and Slice of Paradise, you probably get the memo that these are some damn easy-listening tracks to get your teeth sunk into.
Shimmering dream pop duo Superstar return with their sophomore album Table For Two. Sparse and peppered with pretty melodies it’s a satisfying body of work.
Formed in 2007, Kieran Hedgarty and Esther Edquist are the architects behind the dream-pop shoegaze outfit. Kieran makes music under his solo moniker The Fronds, making head-bopping lo-fi sounds with a similar relaxed ambiance to that of Superstar. This side project is perhaps nodded to through the title of one of the pairs tracks, The Long Frond, an extensive one, with guitar solo after guitar solo.
The first track on the record Cool Memories sets the tone for the first half of the record. The duo set out with all their bells and whistles packed and ready to roll. Soothing water noises, drone-like sequences and an increasing intensity throughout the piece could make for a perfect meditation or Pilates soundtrack – like the good old days when you’d wake up way too early for Cheez TV. Esther’s bare bones, unaffected vocals don’t emerge until about two minutes into the thick of it, but when they do, you’re confronted by the starkness of it all, as opposed to the shimmery electric guitars and synthesized drum and keys.
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The fourth track of the LP Intermission feels like a dog-eared section of the whole thing, which is why you will probably “get it” only if you listen to the LP from start to finish. The song is more or less a four-minute psychedelic jam, marking a significant turning point in the feel of the whole LP. What this song lacks in vocals, it makes up for in shiny sitar sounds (I’m inclined to think it’s actually a synth) and fat floor toms, suggestive of classics like Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk or a b-side to Dark Side Of The Moon.
Although slightly challenging to grasp as stand alone songs due to their sparseness and long-windedness, Table For Two as a whole sounds like a friendly, well thought out and overall, a pretty piece of work. The pair are currently halfway through an East Coast tour of Australia and will round it all off at the Opera House, May 23 for Vivid Live. Also on the bill for their show are Blank Realm, Royal Headache, Exhaustion and more.
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