Nov 2021
Continuing his hot streak of flawless album releases, the project of Coloured Clocks has done it once again with The Floral Emblem. Please read on for our glowing review of the record, as well as a much needed refresher on this talented artist.
Behind the work of Coloured Clocks is Melbourne, Australia’s own James Wallace. From his genius musically inclined mind comes another memorable piece of psychedelic pop titled The Floral Emblem. Stepping up his game on the production and songwriting front, his follow up to 2020’s Flora is a step in the right direction and a testament to his improving skills in all things music. Sincerely, we can’t wait for everyone to get their ears on this record.
Sounding like the amalgamation of Tame Impala and Flaming Lips, Wallace’s Coloured Clocks continues to explore new horizons and atmospheres in a way that only makes sense if you listen. Coming in at 14 songs, spanning right around 47 minutes in length, there isn’t a single wasted second or moment that doesn’t grasp the listener in an intriguing way. Comparing directly to Flora, we instantly noticed a dramatic increase in confidence on the vocals side. Tracks like “What’s A Man?” and “The Room I Wake” are prime examples of the huge improvements.
In traditional psych pop fashion, so much of the awe in the genre comes from a production standpoint and truly mastering the art of that signature sound. Seeing as though Wallace has been at it for 10+ years, we can emphatically state that he’s developed a style of his own that sticks out on all his records and definitively makes it a Coloured Clocks distinct sound. The layering of the vocals, the sometimes refined and refrained instrumentation, and the cohesiveness of it all were true standouts.
One of the first things you’ll notice is how deeply complex and dynamic the sounds really are, but what could potentially hide in the background are the strides in songwriting. Songs like “Dream Sequence Pt. 1” and even the opener “Puma” provide imagery-filled lyricism that so clearly paint a picture of what it’s all about. It was always going to be a difficult task to improve from Flora to this new album, but Wallace has pulled it off and really put something intriguing and magical out into the world.
Without giving too much else away, because we’d love for you to give a listen to experience it for yourselves, we’re going to happily point you in the direction of the links below where you can listen and follow along for more. Don’t miss out on one of our favorite projects of the year!
