In Ghostlike Fading

In Ghostlike Fading

The Brooklyn, N.Y., indie rock quintet My Best Fiend successfully blends gauzy '90s-style dream-pop with the vintage guitar tones of '70s classic rock, but what’s more impressive is its knack for winsome songwriting and innovative arrangements. In Ghostlike Fading starts with “Higher Palms,” a hazy tune trimmed with well-worn Wurlitzer notes that resonate alongside a nice contrast of blissed-out guitar effects and rootsy twang. The layered, androgynous singing adds an air of mystery throughout, most noticeably in “Jesus Christ.” There, vocalist Fred Coldwell sounds a little like Beachwood Sparks’ Chris Gunst fronting early Spiritualized—especially toward the end, when Coldwell’s singing recalls Jason Pierce’s refrain in “Medication.” The band’s propensity for jamming out into the stratosphere is exemplified in the seven-and-a-half-minute “Odvip,” a laid-back, Pink Floyd-esque tune that turns into a lilting haze of space-rock nebula. They deliver another short epic in the triumphant “Cracking Eggs,” where layered instruments snowball into a titanic sonic swell of anthemic shoegazing.

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