Ports of Call: Like Thieves...

Like Michael Myres, Jason Voorhees and Martin Lawrence, shoegaze has proven itself to be an unstoppable force. Presumed dead in the mid 90s, here comes the second wave.

Ports of Call, from Philadelphia can be seen doing a merry jig atop said wave, possibly on a surfboard if your imagination is more physics based. With their debut album "Like Thieves...." they have cleverly sidestepped all of the faux pas that led to the genres demise first time around.

Shoegaze came under heavy fire for it's self-congratulatory attitude, meaningless lyrics and pretentious pomposity coupled with shy, awkward live performances. (and those were some of the nicer descriptions) With "Like Thieves...", Ports of Call have married the shimmering effulgent walls of noise with tangible melodies, resplendent reverb-infused vocals and a firm anchorage to the philosophy of alternative rock (music without meaning is noise)

While this album is unlikely to win over entrenched hearts, "Honey", with it's lush, coruscating lead guitar line and the slow paced beauty of "Spirals" add to an immensely enjoyable 34 minutes of music, which although not immediately arresting, is likely to camp outside the heart of it's listeners, patiently waiting for the door to open. After which, it'll emit a small smile and wander in, unlikely to be facing eviction in the near future.

Anyone familiar with Ports of Call will be aware of the claims of musical similarity between the intro of their track "Honey" and the Oasis album track "Bring It On Down". We can see that connection and raise it, for the intro of "Claire" sounds somewhat akin to the Stone Roses song "She Bangs the Drums". Ports of Call we await your response to these completely unfounded claims!

In terms of style though, it's hard to fault them. Lead vocalists Thomas and Carolynne do a grand job of bringing out huge depth and emotion when they trade off vocal cues and rather than simply providing a constant beat, the rhythm section expertly provide many subtle, and many daring changes of pace and tone. Rather than feeling like you're listening to half an hour of pretty noise, the end result is a rich, evolving tapestry of heartfelt art.