The Unattainable Shore, the ambitious follow-up to 2017’s Aporía, was a long time coming. But Pareidolon -- two men and three women from Vancouver, British Columbia -- finally return with a smaller lineup and a bigger mission: To deliver a loosely themed, 66-minute concept album about striving for a goal and falling short. The band blurs majestic progressive-rock influences from the Seventies and Eighties with indie-pop sensibilities, yet Brittany Keller’s ethereal vocals unfortunately sometimes get lost -- overpowered by band leader Lachlan Tocher’s electric guitar.
The album is anchored by the 24-minute, eight-part “Voie Aérienne,” which features Derek Sherinian on keys, and other songs feature a variety of guest musicians, too -- including the male vocalist who was part of Pareidolon's lineup for Aporía. There is a lot going on in these eight songs, yet they all sound similar to each other. Maybe it’s the sometimes-muddy mix, or perhaps a misguided attempt to take on too much in the name of “execut[ing] every shred of musical ability we possess” (as noted on the album’s Bandcamp page).
That said, this is still impressive, and it’s encouraging to hear young musicians embrace challenging music when so many of their peers simply are not. That shore is still attainable.
Track Listing
1. In a Distant Orbit
2. Emotional Tides (The Unattainable Shore)
3. Ghost Ship
4. Invasion, Part III: Return to Earth
5. Exhaust/Manic
6. Voie Aérienne
7. The Ebb and Flow Of Heartache
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