Nation of Language Retreat on 'Dance Called Memory'

"Roxy Music released its final album, Avalon, in 1982, capping off a decade that saw the group morph from the shimmering art rock of its debut to something more majestic but wearier. Seven years had passed since the group's last masterpiece ( Siren). The uneven Manifesto (1979) and Flesh + Blood (1980) felt like a group staggering to its end. However, Bryan Ferry and company rebounded with the lovely and ghostly Avalon, allowing Roxy Music to finish with a triumph."

"Nation of Language, the Brooklyn-based purveyors of '80s-inspired synth-pop, return with Dance Called Memory on September 19. And while the band's fourth album in five years sounds like it could be its Avalon, maybe the trio just hasn't earned the same world-weariness after such a short time putting out music. If Strange Disciple (2023) expanded the group's sonic palette with live guitars and drums, Dance Called Memory feels like a willful retreat from that ecstatic sound."

"It is a well-worn story that Nation of Language grew from Ian Devaney's obsession with early Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark tracks. We can clearly hear Andy McCluskey in his vocals as the creeping of other influences show up here. Devaney goes full-Ferry on "Silhouette," a track that could slot nicely onto Avalon. Meanwhile, Devaney wades into the smear of Kevin Shields in the My Bloody Valentine-inspired "I'm Not Ready for the Change.""

Roxy Music's Avalon concluded a decade-long evolution from shimmering art rock to majestic, weary beauty. Nation of Language returns with Dance Called Memory, their fourth album in five years, which leans into nocturnal, atmospheric synth-pop rather than the live-guitar energy of Strange Disciple. The album favors subtle textures over immediate hooks, offering night-drive ambience rather than club-ready tracks. Ian Devaney channels influences from early OMD and Bryan Ferry, while also touching on Kevin Shields' smear. Producer Nick Millhiser contributes icy synth production, with Aidan Noell's synths and Alex MacKay's understated bass shaping the record's restrained mood.

Read at SPIN