Spooky
Spooky has strong pop songs that sometimes hide themselves a little too well. Lush let clear guitar melodies and high vocal harmonies merge into a dense, wavering sound. The voices of Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson fit it well. They give the music softness even when the guitars are forcefully present. The result can be beautiful, but sometimes lacks a clear push forward.
For Love shows how much melodic strength sits beneath that presentation. Its chiming guitars and singing form a direct song that would hold together without all the effects. Nothing Natural likewise has enough character to make its way through the crowded sound. At these points, pop and shoegaze complement each other convincingly.
Superblast! pushes the guitars harder. The singing stays light and almost choir-like against them, allowing the music to push and drift at once. That combination gives the album a sharper edge. Lush have more to offer than an attractive, distant sound. The best tracks retain their shape however actively the guitars move around the melody, and their hooks give the atmosphere a clear purpose.
The closing Monochrome takes a much more melancholy approach. It is a slow ballad that brings the band's emotional side into focus. The album ends beautifully.
Robin Guthrie's production does leave a heavy mark on the whole record. Some transitions and differences between tracks disappear into the same haze, weakening the momentum of the second half. More definition could have helped the songs. Even so, Spooky remains worthwhile: its melodies are good, and the combination of forceful guitars with gentle voices has an appeal of its own.
