This present installment is the third that the author and lyricist CP Fletcher has added to his credit, who, at the head of A Permanent Shadowcontinues to offer solid samples of new-wave, post-punk or conveniently obscured indie-pop. “No Leaf Cover” presents, in any case, certain palpable novelties with respect to what was its debut, “Songs Of Loss” (Auto, 19) and, above all, “Humdrum” (Auto, 22), a previous release by the musician who has been living in Barcelona for a long time and was released just two years ago.
On the one hand, in a plot theme that points to the questionable state of current society and, together with some unflattering perspectives, marks the plot line of “No Leaf Clover”, openly pointing out delicate topics such as toxic relationships, child abuse, life boredom, harmful elements or suicidal tendencies and other disturbances. It also happens that the electrified guitars are, on this occasion, undisguisedly advanced to the foreground of the sequence, while the halo of electronics (previously used openly) becomes a secondary element and is reserved as a cohesive piece in the songs themselves. .
The result is an LP that is slightly brighter and, above all, less airtight; as well as uncomfortable and exacerbated if one pays attention to the lyric that guides it. A total of eleven make up the work in question, while in the chain (and depending on the cut in question) it is possible to focus on references such as Editors, David Bowie, Moby, White Lies, Future Islands, Queens Of The Stone Age, James, Nine Inch Nails or LCD Soundsystem. A real measure of the variety (logical and meaningful) that splashes “No Leaf Clover”which has outstanding calls for attention of the type of “Brother”, “I Hate Myself”, “Money To Burn”one’s own “No Leaf Clover” o “The Wait”.
CP Fletcher and his group had already left signs of their good work when it came to moving within their most pronounced preferences, throughout the aforementioned previous references of A Permanent Shadow. Now, with the ambitious “No Leaf Clover” –located between rage and the call to action and restlessness and surrender– they once again offer a compact and good-looking sound, with which they create, through equally seamless composition, an album as disturbing as it is well arranged and convincing. .