It’s a long odyssey from Unloved.
David Holmes has always operated in the shadows.
Even if you don’t know his name you’ll be familiar with his work, be it producing (or more accurately, collaborating, such is the producer’s influence) with the likes of Primal Scream and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, or his ventures into films such as on the Ocean’s Eleven franchise.
More recently Holmes provided the score for the ridiculously successful TV show Killing Eve, and it’s for the show that the Belfast native is arguably best known across the pond.
Yet he wasn’t alone in that project and, along with singer Jade Vincent and musician Keefus Ciancia, he has somehow found the time to produce a third album under the moniker Unloved – but, despite it being the work of three, Holmes’ unmistakable fingertips are all over The Pink Album.
Moody textures, 60’s French noir and echoing ethereal vocals are largely the order of the day, but pleasingly Unloved’s 22 tracks do offer variation.
For instance, the sparkling, Chemical Brothers-esque Rainbrose or the quasi-dub bassline of Boowah broaden the dense sonic palette, evoking sunshine and neon-drenched rain respectively.
Indeed, despite the lack of an accompanying visual, the album is unsurprisingly evocative and cinematic: the finger-snapping science fiction of Lucky has an unerring similarity to the theme-tune from Succession, for example. Elsewhere, David Lynch would likely nod approvingly upon listening to the likes of the druggy, woozy stomp of I Don’t Like You Anymore.
Not that it is entirely the work of Holmes. Vincent’s sultry vocals dominate the first half of the album, with an insolent delivery on Now and a haunting chant on Waiting For Tomorrow, working well in conjunction with the latter’s soulful texture.
The countless layers of vocals on Number In My Phone provide a sense of scale alongside the snappy percussion, as if the studio was packed to the rafters with contributors.
That said, Holmes is a wise old fox and clearly knew that 22 tracks with one vocalist would swiftly become wearing, and utilises his contact list to bring in some guests.
Raven Violet provides lead vocals on the single Turn Of The Screw, proffering an incandescent glee on her delivery of the line, ‘screw you’, while Jarvis Cocker takes his turn on Accountable with gently aching vocals accentuating the disconsolate vibe of the song.
While not vocals, Jon Spencer’s subtle guitar histrionics on Call Me When You Have A Clue work well in conjunction with the sinister analogue throb.
Unfortunately, for all the talent and dexterity on display, there’s no hiding from the album’s main issue: 22 tracks is simply too unwieldy an amount for a satisfying listening experience.
The Pink Album clocks in at 90 minutes, and even the most ardent fan will find their attention waning at the hour mark. That’s not to say any of it is bad, there’s simply just too much of it, and it’s a real shame that the likes of the pensive To The Day I Die or the claustrophobic Love Experiment (featuring Etienne Daho) may not be rewarded with the full attention they deserve.
Drenched in reverb, the new love Unloved album is crammed with twisted waltzes and distorted industrial tones, interspersed with a jazzy swagger or hypnotic beats.
But sometimes the cliché is true: less is more.