In the 1990s, bands like Portishead and Combustible Edison drew
inspiration from exotic ’60s film scores. Despite being a diversely
rich and rarely mined stylistic niche, that ’90s scene was merely a
cool fad that faded before it exhausted its potential. The latest album
by the Postmarks successfully pays particular homage to John Barry’s
thriller/James Bond scores, incorporating deep, epic orchestration on
most tracks. Other songs evoke a dreamy Blue Velvet/Twin Peaks vibe. But the Postmarks succeed in generating their own identity
to avoid deteriorating into a sort of mimic-gimmick retro tribute act.
Soft, unassuming female pop voices diverge from the typical Tom Jones
or Shirley Bassey powerhouse-vocal conventions of the James Bond
themes. And like 1960s-inspired mod new wave of the ’80s, these songs
contain a sense of artistic hindsight that prevents them from being an
authentic product of an earlier era. Despite titles like “Go
Jetsetter,” goofy kitsch components are actually quite minimal, and the
lyrics and music convey a classy, confident reverence that still
preserves a healthy sense of fun. Memoirs also profits from the
varied pacing of its catchy tunes, alternating between hefty, imposing
John Barry-esque tracks and light, bubbly girl-group pop like “My Lucky
Charm.” Especially memorable is the cinematically massive “Thorn in
Your Side” in separate vocal and instrumental versions — another
hip nod to classic soundtracks. — Michael David
Toth
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 1, 2009.
