Haunted Indie
Often having their sound described as 'Chamber Pop' and as like the soundtrack to a Tim Burton film The Miserable Rich return with a new album "Miss You In The Days" which gives us more of that sound. It's essentially is a tuneful but melancholic indie record with some nice quirks and instrumentation opener 'Laid Up In Lavender' has a sweet little melody and some lovely string sounds giving that cinematic feel a real boost, cello is always a winner in a pop song.
Apparently in an attempt to create the right atmosphere for the album the band recorded the record in a haunted pub attic in the grounds of Blickling Hall, a haunted stately home in the UK (if you believe in that kind of thing!). It really seems to have worked for them as the record is certainly very atmospheric, with tracks like 'Imperial Lines' beautiful string arrangements really packing longing into the core of the tune and moments like 'Tramps', which has a traditional song feel and with the vocal 'oohs' and staccato strings it makes you feel like you've fallen into the past.
The production suits the songs perfectly, it creates a sound that feels intimate yet is full of echoes while still sounding clean, with each sound clear and distinct so that tracks like the dreamy and skin tingling 'Ringing The Changes' really shine. The band have created a cohesive overall atmosphere throughout the record, those spooky string sounds and a combination of melancholic melody and sing along vocal lines ('Honesty') pushes the album from what could possibly have been a curio in the wrong hands into a solid and accessible record full of goose bump inducing moments that are sometimes gentle and stark and at other times huge sweeping statements of intent.