Album Review: MEMORYHOUSE The Slideshow Effect

A collaboration between composer Evan Abeele and photographer Denise Nouvion led to the nascence of Memoryhouse. Their debut record, The Slideshow Effect, is a result of the Canadian duo's experimentation with sound and photography, the latter (along with the concept of memory) heavily embedded in the lyrical themes of their songs. Prior to the release of the album, the duo explored their penchant for memories in the succinct and powerful 18-minute EP, The Years. However, when revisiting these themes in this drawn-out 42-minute LP, they exhaust the idea. The album is musically and thematically repetitive. Upbeat pop-rock tracks glazed with the ethereal vocals of Nouvion – Little Expressionless Animals, The Kids Were Wrong and the slow-tempo Old Haunts – work better than other tracks. Each song elegantly pirouettes between light and shade, and is cleverly crafted with upfront and intimate melodies, giving the tracks a sense of purpose. The rest are album fillers and only regurgitate the pensive narratives the band seemingly wants to drill into your head, with a number of references to photographs and laying down to reflect on life. Often compared to Beach House, they tread similar waters however lack the depth of musicianship and sonic force. Diverting our attention to the song booklet, which is of equal importance (as it is a multimedia project rather than an album full of songs), the booklet is filled with ghostly snapshots of adventures, life moments and large bodies of water reiterating the overly-focused theme of memories and the past. Though the duo attempts to humanise electro-pop, they have instead washed out the perks of the genre and refilled them with a dose of blandness.