Tartufi are one of those pop bands that aren’t a pop band. They try to fool us into thinking that they are actually somewhat obtuse loop obsessed alternative types when, in reality, they are as much in love with the pop hook as any of us. As a result, with ‘These Factory Days’, they have created an experimental rock album that is as easy to fall in love with as it to admire.
The San Francisco three-piece have spent a long time working on this record and, from the moment that the opener ‘Underwater’ glides into your ears, this is something that is clearly apparent. The soundscapes on this record belie the triadic nature of the band, and the mix (which itself apparently took around eighteen months on its own) is astonishingly clear when it needs to be, and pleasingly obtuse when the mood takes it. There are times in which Tartufi are as much in ambient territory as they are anything approaching pop or rock.
Yet despite this ‘These Factory Days’ remains an album of songs rather than soundscapes. ‘Eaves’ and ‘Furnace of Fortune’, in particular, are lovingly crafted songwriting tour de forces, with Lynne Angel’s vocals carrying the tracks off into territory not a million miles away from the blissful refrains of dream pop titans Beach House. On a more esoteric front, meanwhile, the way the band progress seamlessly through textural climbs from the bullish ‘Seldom’ through the gentle ‘Glass Eyes’ to the subtly expansive ‘8:1’ emphasises their compositional talent as much as it does their delightful song craft.
At a perfectly formed forty-three minutes in length, ‘These Factory Days’ is at its best when consumed as a whole. It stands as a spellbinding journey through territory that most other bands would be afraid to traverse whilst still remaining true to their pop roots. A truly delightful record.
‘These Factory Days’ is out now via Southern Records.
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The San Francisco three-piece have spent a long time working on this record and, from the moment that the opener ‘Underwater’ glides into your ears, this is something that is clearly apparent. The soundscapes on this record belie the triadic nature of the band, and the mix (which itself apparently took around eighteen months on its own) is astonishingly clear when it needs to be, and pleasingly obtuse when the mood takes it. There are times in which Tartufi are as much in ambient territory as they are anything approaching pop or rock.
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