Strange Weekend

iTunes Review

Transnational auteur Mauro Remiddi completes his shift from the clean-lined pop of Sunny Day Sets Fire into more ambient regions on Strange Weekend, his first album under the moniker Porcelain Raft. The music here sails on multilayered currents of old-school synths, inviting comparisons to the likes of Panda Bear. But there’s real angst to be found here, along the lines of John Lennon’s more tormented collaborations with Phil Spector. “Unless You Speak First from the Heart,” “Put Me to Sleep,” and “The End of Silence” use their quivering surfaces to heighten the singer’s palpable longing and need. Psychedelic colors are evident as well, with “Shapeless and Gone” achieving a perceptible lysergic shimmy. There are plenty of sci-fi swoops and gurgles for those who like that vintage cosmic touch. You can tell Remiddi had fun cooking up these sonic concoctions in his basement studio. But just as clearly, Porcelain Raft is a vessel meant to convey something far more resonant than spacy techno sounds.