The Arctic Flow –  The Luminous Veil

The Arctic Flow – The Luminous Veil

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The Arctic Flow –  “The Luminous Veil”

Label: Oscarson

Realease: December 14, 2015

The Arctic Flow, again was discovered on one of my associative Tube sprees: bang! “As Close To A Kiss As We Will Ever Be” (2011) hit the spot: accompanied by the cutest animation ever, I was met by a heavenly sound that melted all my favourite late 80’s/ early 90’s indie into one, new, radiant experience. Song after song,  The Arctic Flow makes me feel like floating off  on a cloud into and beyond the luminous veil, and  forget everything that is wrong with the world…..

The Arctic Flow (TAF)  is a one-man dream-pop project from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. According to Brian Hancheck, the man behind the project he started in 2008, TAF songs are “dreamy songs of love and loss”.  Hancheck – “one boy on the beach, flying his kite in the summer breeze” – writes, plays, and produces all The Arctic Flow’s material by himself. The songs will appeal particularly to lovers of the Smiths, Field Mice, the Sundays and The Radio Dept: nostalgically reminiscent of late 80’s C86 and Sarah Records.

The Arctic Flow has released 2 albums ( “All the way until December”- 2009 and “Lost Wishes – 2014)  and quite a few EP’s and singles all available as digital downloads on labels such as Holiday Records, Bubbletone but mostly self-released. “The Luminous Veil” was recorded between February and June 2015 at The Landing in Myrtle Beach,  and consists of 4 sparkly gems that actually feel quite different from the fragile “Lost Wishes” E.P. that was released only a year previously. Where “Lost Wishes” still has that hazy, 4AD aura, “The Luminous Veil”  is still as dreamy and ethereal as ever, but considerably perked up by synths & drum-programming, which might make it more appealing to hipsters but also flows quite well with that 80’s vibe, omnipresent in the opening track “When we were something”.

“A Fine Day ( For Staying in Bed)”  is not an uncommon thought for me when I wake up, but strangely enough, an uplifting, shimmer-sunny track like this makes the start of day extra bearable.

“Daffodilsis an impressionist painting with washes of synths and swirly guitar textures a la Chameleons, but the last track “Ready for the Rain”, is most certainly my favourite track. It kicks off with the Sunday’s “Joy”, jumps into Smiths mode and sways on brilliantly and melancholically sprinkled with fragile piano keys as the tiny drops of a gentle spring rain.

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