Marshmallow Coast - Vangelis Rides Again (2015)

Nearly two decades into his career, indie pop auteur Andy Gonzales returns with Vangelis Rides Again, his ninth LP under the Marshmallow Coast banner. Mysterious, with a murky, almost sensual attitude, Vangelis runs the Coast's typically clever popcraft through a midnight-blue filter, resulting in nine attractive explorations that evoke the magic hours before dawn. The deep, mellow grooves of "Hash Out Cash Out" and the synth-weighted title cut cast a strange spell and the woozy "Hills Are Alive," a sly play on Rodgers & Hammerstein's Sound of Music theme, is quietly dazzling. "Mystical Shit" plays on the band's psych/prog tendencies while the closer, "Forever," sounds like a literal translation of the album's name. Jarringly brief, Vangelis clocks in at a mere 20 minutes, making it either an elaborate, mood-heavy EP or a hallucinatory trip that ends too soon. Either way, it's a solid effort with plenty of heft.