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Soft Light Rush

Port St. Willow

2012

Soft Light Rush

Release Date:  2012

By Pitchfork

Reviewed March 5, 2013

Last year, Port St. Willow released Holiday, a devastating and absorbing album defined by its patient tempos, lush production and Nicolas Principe's untethered, airy falsetto. Those very subtle qualities also made it one of 2012's most overlooked albums. Comparisons to the Antlers and Radiohead inevitably followed, as well as the endorsement of none other than Brian Eno, someone who knows a thing about combining ambient with pop.

On April 2, Downtown are giving Holiday a deluxe reissue, which comes with a 4-part, 24-minute medley that refines and expands the record itself, proving the extent of Principe's command of his sound. The title of "Soft Light Rush" pretty much sums up Port St. Willow itself, and Principe follows suit in its second movement, six minutes of resigned horns, silvery guitar figures and haunting vocal incantations that sound weightless and yet feels emotionally heavy all at once.

7:00 PM · Mar 5, 2013 · 3 Views