Memories Fade

Victory at Sea have always seemed to glean the best elements from '90s indie glory, especially post-rock bands and performers like June of 44, Shipping News, and Shannon Wright. Memories Fade, released on new home label Gern Blandsten, shows Victory at Sea slightly rising again to another level. Rather than strictly relying on guitar, the heavy presence of violin and piano gives the record another dimension — sometimes an Eastern feel as on "Love Is Ageless," or a light staccato interplay as on "Games" and "All Night Superstar." That's not to say Victory at Sea only rely on the violin and piano. Drums and guitar definitely join in the fun of exchange with the other instruments, always tight, dramatic, and appropriate. The sense of vocal melody and passion from Mona Elliott against the timbre of the instrumentation makes Memories Fade more mature, memorable, and interesting. Victory at Sea place epic, intense tracks next to lighter, more upbeat tracks on Memories Fade, creating the illusion that you might have heard this or that before, but the bandmembers successfully move you subtly away from where you thought you might go and into rewarding new areas of their own design.