Penny Arcade is the work of
James Hoare and the moody mope pop they trade in is 100-percent of a piece with the bands that he's has been associated with in the 2010s. In both
Ultimate Painting and
the Proper Ornaments, he's reliably put across some very melancholy, very pretty music that's perfectly pitched between heartache and heartbreak. On
Backwater Collage,
Hoare is in full control of the songwriting and sound for the first time, and he focuses tightly on quietly strummed electric guitars, subtly applied simple drumbeats -- by frequent
Hoare collaborator
Max Oscarnold -- keyboards, and tender harmony vocals (courtesy of
Nathalia Bruno of
Index for Working Musik). On top of this basic template,
Hoare is free to add little bits and bobs of sound (xylophone, fuzz guitar, humming synths) to vary the arrangements, though he fully adheres to the less is more philosophy he's always had. It makes for a unified listening experience, perfect for a half-hour of silently contemplating one's bedroom wall as they linger in bed.
Hoare never lifts that mood, not even for a second, which would have been a problem if the songs weren't so perfectly constructed and sneakily hooky. He figured out long ago that quiet and unassuming music doesn't have to forgo catchiness, and tracks like the naggingly psychedelic "When the Feeling Is Gone" or the defuzzed garage rock ballad ¿Mr. Softee" have barbed hooks that will sink in deeply. After a couple of plays, the whole album delivers a similar effect, as the subdued mood and calmly poppy melodies combine to leave the listener feeling both sad and uplifted. It's a rare feat for any musician to pull off, and
Hoare's projects have certainly come close before. Now that he's in total control, it proves to be well within his reach and
Backwater Collage is an understated delight. ~ Tim Sendra
![After the Disco [Bonus Track]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0888837716123_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "After the Disco [Bonus Track]")
