[rating=4.00]
The Perishers made great inroads during a North American tour with Sarah McLachlan. The Swedish outfit then created some perfect, timeless and melodic pop songs on 2005’s Let There Be Morning, that left many wanting more. And while there is always the thought of on Victorious with the tender, earnest opener “Midnight Skies” that builds into a rich pop tune.
That isn’t to say it comes as easy, but The Perishers put in the work to give it that smooth, fluid quality on songs like “Never Bloom Again,” although “Carefree” sounds like it came from a failed XTC brainstorming session. Fortunately though when The Perishers opt for a slight country feel, tunes like “My Own” soar, shine and soar again.
Perhaps the biggest knock against Victorious is that a few songs need some time to grow on the listener, especially the poppy, radio-friendly title track. Yet this pales compared to the album’s highlight “Come Out Of The Shade” that is a terribly, sinfully melodic nugget. The same can be said for the Travis-ish “Is It Over Now?” and “Best Friends” which brings to mind Greg Dulli’s underappreciated band The Twilight Singers.
Overall, The Perishers have made another great album, not as great as the first go around but still great nonetheless.
