FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Caroline Polachek - Pang
___________
WHEN it comes to albums…
PHOTO CREDIT: Aidan Zamiri
that you need to own on vinyl, I would definitely put Caroline Polachek’s Pang up there. The third studio album from the New York artist, Pang is a near-masterpiece. Definitely one of the best albums of 2019, I would urge people to go and grab it on vinyl. This is what Rough Trade say about Polachek and a magnificent album:
“Caroline Polachek has already lived an extraordinary life in music: her previous band Chairlift formed in 2006 whilst Caroline was still in art school; and in 2008 the band was thrust into the spotlight when Bruises was synched in an iPod commercial as the Brooklyn indie scene peaked as an international export. Caroline's idiosyncratic vocal style and synth textures quickly became their sonic trademark, and continued to evolve through their three critically acclaimed albums into a new, more modular kind of pop experimentation.
Caroline expanded into production in 2013, landing her first credit writing and producing on Beyonce's grammy-nominated self-titled album. Restless while making Chairlift's third (and final) record Moth, Caroline quietly fostered two side projects: baroque girl-group Ramona Lisa, and minimal synth project CEP. Moving fluidly through radically different genres, Caroline collaborated with dozens of artists (Blood Orange, SBTRKT, Charli XCX) ; sometimes writing, sometimes singing, sometimes directing videos, and sometimes all three.
Chairlift disbanded in 2017 and Caroline feverishly began writing for her first solo project under her own name. For the first time, the DNA from these seemingly different projects fit together perfectly; the playfulness of Chairlift, the theatricality of Ramona Lisa, futuristic glimmerings of CEP, plus a new mastery of her voice and thick rolodex of keen collaborators.
Fast forward two years spent manically between the studio and navigating a series of personal crossroads, and Pang marks the beginning of a new chapter. It is the most ambitious, hardcore and beautiful album of her career to date. With her signature 'organic autotune' and liquid lyricism finally center stage, the record positions her firmly as one of the most singular and captivating singers of a generation”.
I heard the album first when it came out in 2019. I was aware of Polachek when she was in Chairlift. Her songwriting and production throughout Pang is exceptional. When it comes to anticipated albums of this year or next, I think a lot of people would love to see new material from the wonderful Polachek. Pang received hugely positive reviews. Many publications and sites listed it among their favourite albums of 2019. It is no surprise when you listen to the album and come across songs as brilliant as Pang, Ocean of Tears and Door. In their review, this is what The Line of Best Fit had to offer:
“Pang is a remarkable debut for the singer. Intoxicatingly distinct, it features executive production work from both British producer Danny L Harle, as well as Polachek’s own carefully regimented style. Additionally though, Pang also features added production assistance from the likes of Jim E Stack, A. G. Cook & Daniel Nigro.
Polachek has clearly drawn from a well of talented production talent but the results of her meticulous selection cannot and should not go understated. Each track on Pang feels cautiously constructed yet mindful of its own sense of space, as if each has been sifted through with a fine-tooth comb, with any imperfections rejected.
These are broad, expansive examples of modern indie pop, entrancing in their potential to effectively convey mood and ideas. "Shut Up" for example is a cavernous piece, equal parts seductive and bewildering, whilst "So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings" has all the trappings and swaggering femininity of the best '80s pop pieces. In turn, "Parachutes" displays Polachek’s ‘Organic Autotune’ to euphoric effect come the album’s close.
This is to say that the excellence and consistency is so uniform across the album that any one song could feasibly have been released as a single and it still wouldn’t have betrayed the excellence of the project.
There are moments that feel surplus to requirement at times or run slightly too long but this is to be pedantic in the face of the album's successes. Particular congratulations should go to the effortless perfection of the single "Door" as well as title track, "Pang" both of which are consummate modern pop songs and testament to Polachek’s talents as a singer, songwriter and producer.
Pang is a remarkable debut album assured of its legitimacy and brilliance, one that should be celebrated for its shimmering beauty and the success of its authorial intent”.
If you are new to Caroline Polachek, then I would advise people to check out her previous solo albums, 2014’s Arcadia and 2017’s Drawing the Target Around the Arrow. Pang is most definitely her most astonishing and important album. It is one that every record collector should have!
Before closing this down, there is another review that I want to source. I do lean on AllMusic for great reviews and insights. This is what they said in their review of the mighty Pang:
“Throughout her tenure as the lead singer and keyboardist of the experimental indie rock outfit Chairlift, Caroline Polachek offered her atmospheric take on synthy, arty pop. It's a sound she expanded upon with her solo projects, including 2014's Baroque Arcadia (released as Ramona Lisa) and 2017's ambient-leaning Drawing the Target Around the Arrow (issued as CEP). With 2019's Pang, her first album released under her own name, Polachek further distills her approach with a collection of deeply emotive songs that showcase her delicate vocals and intricate pop sensibilities. Helping her achieve this deft balance of art and emotion is British producer Danny L. Harle. Together, they craft arrangements that straddle the line between moody electronica and adult contemporary pop. Cuts like the soulfully fractured "I Give Up," the yearning acoustic ballad "Look at Me Now," and the icy, hip-hop-tinged "Ocean of Tears" bring to mind the languid sophistication of icons like Kate Bush, Imogen Heap, and Annie Lennox, while remaining true to Polachek's own distinctive artistic voice. On Pang, one gets the sense that Polachek has come through a dark period of personal and creative transformation and is writing directly from that experience. She details the end of a relationship on "Look at Me Now," singing "Now my friends all tell me, 'Girl, you're getting skinny. Have you not been sleeping?'/How could I be?" She further encapsulates these feelings of change on "Hit Me Where It Hurts," singing "I'm feeling like a butterfly trapped in a plane/Maybe there's something going on/I'm not insane." There's also a vivid conceptuality to Polachek's work here. The opening "The Gate" is a shimmering flagship song that evokes a mythic sense of rebirth, as if Polachek is about to embark on a journey of discovery. It's that personal artistic voice cracking through the beautiful scrim of her conceptual artifice that makes Pang so compelling”.
Go and get a copy of the magnificent Pang. As I said, there will be curiosity and excitement as to where m Polachek heads next. She is one of our finest and most extraordinary songwriters. If you need an album that stands up to repeated listens and gets inside the head, then there is no doubt that Pang…
IS up to the job.