Album Review: pastor al

Bret Vogel selected the name of Incredible Yacht Control from a misread book title-a ‘nom de plume’ indeed- for this album. It’s a collection that draws on considerable experience in Aotearoa and The United States, not only with previous band Crosstide, but with strong connections to Kody Nielson of Mint Chicks fame. pastor al is the return from a period in his life where he focused on non-musical things, and this album explore areas that didn’t fit with his work in Crosstide and elsewhere.

Aesthetically speaking, opening track Blue Gardens is as clear an opening statement as you could possibly hope for. At its heart is an acoustic guitar and plaintive voice, setting out something of a lo-fi framework. But it is framed with frankly lush instrumentation, vocal harmonies, esoterically styled keyboards-sounds like a Mellotron to these ears- and production. Melodic hooks like ‘the past is keeping me awake’ and ‘the wifi’s broke’ swirl out of the mix . This is music that shows a deft and mature hand, not only lyrically but in terms of the structure, melodic approach and the arrangement. This kind of work always rewards multiple listens, and as Track One, it’s a powerfully subtle way to kick things off.

Tell It Twice moves into a more expansive mode, adding drums and strings matching to match a very finely worked melody, while Diagnose Me moves into a funky kind of zone in its chorus. Both songs retain a dense instrumentation that is arranged cleverly so as to not seem cluttered by the time. These are two examples of how Vogel starts with an introspective kind of vibe, and then proceeds to explore where the limits might be- so by the time Driver In The Sea rolls around things get quite up tempo and a little bit noisy too.

The lyrical sense reveals itself to be an observational kind of introspection- but leading into far more expansive metaphorical examinations of a much grander scope. It seems contradictory but it’s not really an inner landscape being explored. The lyrics maintain a plaintive, gentle yet literate tone. It’s perhaps not terribly surprising to see Nick Drake’s name mentioned in what little press there is, but certainly strains of Pink Moon resonate here. Other reference points might be the work of Phoebe Bridgers and Daniel Johns at the tail end of his Silverchair days.

A key track, a real standout in fact, is Jen’s Dads Telescope. This tune lands a terrific one-two punch of a great lyric ( “those lyrics man, they were gravity”) matched to an effective and affecting melody. Due care and attention to the structure and arrangement makes for an archetypal three minute symphony. This is first rate song writing, simple as that. Yearning and warm hearted, Jen’s Dads Telescope sits as an ideal centerpiece to this album.

This album is mature, intelligent and expansive work, and derives -and rewards- multiple listens.