The Boats: Tomorrow Time

Label: Moteer

The Boats are favorites of ours, and the British duo of Andrew Hargreaves and Craig Tattersall don’t disappoint, broadening their sonic palette considerably on their third album, Tomorrow Time. With the addition of vocalists Chris Stewart and Elaine Reynolds, there’s more of a pop structure to the record, but the delicacy and warmth for which the Boats are known are still very much there. Gentle swaths of clicks and cuts and other electronic touches dot the soothing melodies, whether it’s Postal Service-like electro-pop or ambience from the Boards of Canada or Four Color school. There’s a strangely endearing disconnect between the melodies and the song titles: “You’re an Idiot,” “May Our Enemies Never Find Happiness” and “A Sincere F**k You” would appear to be right at home on a thrash album; here they are just another part of the Boats’ unique and beautiful vision.