Fans of the psychedelic genre can breathe a sigh of relief. After Tame Impala ushered in a new, more electronic era with Deadbeat – leaving many critics and fans equally disappointed – Melody Prochet, aka Melody’s Echo Chamber, remains true to her familiar, dreamlike neo-psychedelic sound on Unclouded, even 13 years after her Kevin Parker–produced debut. While the songs are somewhat shorter than on some of her more hypnotic earlier releases, the French musician’s fourth album feels both recognisable and more finely honed.
The opening moments are guided by seductive strings, leading into Melody’s lyrical fairytale world, where »Eyes Closed« briefly opens the gates to psych rock in the vein of Tame Impala’s InnerSpeaker. On »Childhood Dream«, sung in Dutch, Prochet pays tribute to her grandparents and returns to the elegant path of dream pop. Jazzy drums and soft basslines coalesce into a gently grooving rhythm with an unmistakable sense of comfort. Overall, the album strikes an affirmative, occasionally kitschy tone – whether Prochet sings »There’s an ocean of love pouring into my soul« or muses about nocturnal dives with dolphins. Her fondness for the idealised can be forgiven, however, as the airy melodies are likely to pleasantly cloud the mind, allowing words to recede into the background. Unclouded is daydreaming at a very high level.
