Washed Out have labeled their most recent album a "paracosm," a lavishly developed fantasy world found most often in childhood imaginings and the alternate universes of myth-obsessed writers. But if Paracosm is a fantasy world, it certainly isn't the stuff of Tolkein. Instead, the Sub Pup release feels like the "Endless Summer" Brian Wilson once dreamt. Its fantasy is gentle and serene, vaguely exotic but mainly parked at your nearest beach.
Full of rich sonic textures and over fifty instruments, Paracosm surrounds the listener with its radiant warmth and soothing sweep. Effortlessly blending many layers of sound, the album never feels overbearing or over-orchestrated. Ernest Greene's musical vision is tender, nuanced, and filled with tidal ebbs and flows of sound that conjure the sea at its calmest and most inviting.
That the ultimate summer album arrives toward the season's end here in Buffalo is a cruel irony indeed. Nonetheless, Paracosm should offer year-round peace and relaxation. Though the record's overall psychedelic temperament lulls individual songs into subservience to an overarching tone poem, the lack of stand-out tracks hardly suggests weakness. All of the tracks "feel" right and recognize that "feeling" is what the album is all about. Paracosm feels good to listen to and what more can be asked for from such a shimmery, summery gem?
Grade: B+
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