Rocheman - Angel Storm

I know I say it every time I write about a CD release, but I'm convinced that the most interesting music of the 2020's has not been and will not be released on vinyl. Rocheman's EP on Mindseyes Records is another strong argument in favor of that assertion.

Reminding of CD-era Talk Talk and Mark Hollis, Angel Storm is a rare contemporary case of sophistipop that evokes the elegant music that lives in the fringes of UK mid-1980’s hit parade - The Blue Nile immediately coming to mind. In more recent history, one can think of Thomas Bush and a great part of Jolly Discs's catalogue. With accents of soundtrack-era David Bowie or of the suavest man in British showbusiness, Chris Rea,  Rocheman leads his dusky bedroom pop with an indolent crooner attitude.

 It's definitely night music, and the most evocative kind: evenings strolling the damp cobblestone of a northern England town, a clear night on the Aberdeenshire coast - as seen in Bill Forsyth's 1983 Local Hero - John Martyn playing in the warmth of a Scottish pub. Pure British pop, remarkably produced (even reminding of Terre Thaemlitz(!!)) quiet and yet so ambitious. A rare combination these days. Warmest recommendation!