The Shortwave Set's first album went largely unnoticed, except by an impressive group of musical luminaries who began queuing up to work on their second album. Hence Replica Sun Machine, produced by Danger Mouse, of Gnarls Barkley and Gorillaz fame, and featuring cameos by the likes of John Cale and Van Dyke Parks.
It's an impressive cast list for such a previously little known band, and the results are never less than alluring.
The Shortwave Set manage to blend an artful, softly psychedelic folkiness with a glitchy backdrop of electronica, producing a unique end result. It's a highly originally album, even if they occasionally wear their influences on their sleeve, such as Now Til'69's rather blatant nod to David Bowie.
Replica Sun Machine is very much a sonic treat – as opposed to a collection of truly great songs. Don't get me wrong, the songs are clever and often quite charming, but there's probably nothing on here that will burn its way onto you soul for all time.
What there is, however, is a consistently unique and alluring selection of sounds that make this album something of a grower.
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