TELEGRAM – Operator [05.02.2016]

Ein beherztes Review zu einer stürmischen LP!

thefourohfive.comI must confess, I hadn’t thought about Telegram in a long time. The first time I heard about them must have been in 2013, when they released their first offering ‚Follow‘ and a seemingly unexplainable hype for all things psych made the press label them accordingly – although their sound was notably nearer Glam or Kraut, something eventually underlined by their version of Brian Eno’s ‚Needle in the Camel’s Eye‘ (the opening track from the ex-Roxy Music debut LP Here Come The Warm Jets).

Yes, Telegram’s debut album Operator arrives a tad later than the fans of the London-based four-piece expected, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s actually refreshing that they took their time to properly prepare its release, a feat sometimes overlooked by many new bands that often feel the pressure to rush a debut full-length fearing the loss of „momentum“.

Comprising twelve tracks, among which are both 2015 singles ‚Aeons‘ and ‚Taffy Come Home‘ plus a new version of ‚Follow‘, Operator is a cohesive album, more mature than what one would expect given its debut status. With an overall sound situated between Slider-era T Rex’s bright monotony and proto Brit-Pop mixed with obvious Roxy Music nuances, Operator is neatly polished, assertive and (sometimes) even cold as steel. Pushing the album to this Umheimlichness are the late-nineties-early-noughties Glam revival undernotes (Telegram would have been a great choice for a Velvet Goldmine cameo, were they not still in middle school then), which sometimes result in a sedated ennui feeling that passes through their music.

However, none of the tracks overstay their welcome or become too imposing. Globally, this is a laid-back, enthralling album, but that veil between the tracks and the audience sometimes emerges, creating a sort of non-engagement that prevents us from relating more to it. And even though this could be either a good or a bad thing (depending on your point of view and what you are looking for at the moment), I must point out that it seems to be more of a result of an over-clean production and not a direct consequence of the tracks themselves. But then again, music is a very subjective matter; I prefer things not to be overly polished, but someone else will tell you homogeneity is the way to go.

Operator is a very strong and interesting record, mixing glittery platforms with darker horizons. It is also a very „safe“ one, for it sounds very calculated and lacking in risk, something that, as we have learned throughout the years, can lead to a sterile sound in the long run. Although this does not seem to be the case with Operator, my curiosity regarding a follow-up has already been sparked. Please don’t take another three years to make it happen, guys. Rating: 7.5/10