Painted Wolf

Review of Painted Wolf by Pearl Fiction (2012)

Former Zeigeist band member Per Störby (AKA Pearl Fiction) is so damn hot off the press he doesn't even have an entry on Wikipedia. In fact, there's precious little about him online at all. Which is all rather surprising because his debut album - Painted Wolf - did come out in January. And it's bloody brilliant! 

Painted Wolf opens with "Run" - dance-y, deliciously darkwave electropop and infused with a wonderfully catchy sea shanty-like bass. It's a well-chosen opening track, nicely setting the tone of the album.

The second track, "Ritual" wouldn't be out of place on a Cut Copy album - it is pure Nu-Disco - funky, fun, and quite a big departure from his earlier work. 

It took me a while to get "Insomnia", but now it has become one of my favourite tracks on the album. The gravelly, menacing voice that annouces this track soon gives way to chirpy OMD-styles synths and a colourful chorus sung in canon. The result is a perfectly-rendered impression of the kaleidoscopic delirium that comes from sleep deprivation.

Track four, "Talking Seems To Fade Away", is irrepressibly bouncy, even though it seems to be talking about relationship breakdowns. Stylistically, it reminds me a lot of Empire of the Sun and other Aussie indietronica outfits. Which is certainly no bad thing.

"Stories From A Purple Soul" is one of my favourite tracks ontghe album. If you like The xx you'll like this. It has a lot of elements I hear in some of the poppier Zeigeist tracks

The title track, "Painted Wolf" is the danciest and most accessible on the album. It's classic indietronica. Very similar to Cut Copy, but with elements of darkwave and just the tinest hint of Italo Disco in the drums.

"The Ruby Fever" is catchy, funky indietronica that brings to mind fellow Scandos Annie and Miike Snow. As does "This is not the end". Neither is a favourite track, but they're fun and thoroughly accessible.

If I had to chose a favourite track on the album, it would be "Strangulated". It's the closet Pearl Fiction gets to Zeigeist - in fact, it would fit seamlessly into The Jade Motel. Haunting synths and a melody that reminds me of David Bowie's China Girl.

After the dark, dreamy "Strangulated" pop-y, funky "If You Wanna" was the last thing I wanted. But despite my initial disappointment at the change in tempo, it's catchy, feel-good and fun. Not a bad way to end the album on at all.

Oh, and in case you haven't already noticed, he's rather cute too!
Via themusicsnobmilitia.blogspot.com 

Overall, I'd say the album is far more accessible than The Jade Motel and generally lighter and funkier. If you like Australian-style indietronica, you will love it. If you're looking for the same hit you get off Zeigeist - the cold, industrial, space-y synths and dark, dramatic melodies you may be a little disappointed. It's not that they're missing entirely from Painted Wolf - they're just diluted with a lot of the lighter elements of electropop. 

Anyway, this is my first attempt at an album review. It has been a lot more work than I thought, and I've lost count of the times I've listened to the album over the past three days. The fact that I' still not bored of it is a good testament to how good it is! I'm very surprised there aren't more reviews of Painted Wolf out there - I'd be really keen to hear what other people think of it.

More on Pearl Fiction

• Pearl Fiction's website
• Pearl Fiction's YouTube Channel
• Listen to Pearl Fiction on Spotify
• Buy Pearl Fiction on iTunes