Between Places

Young Dreams' debut album, 2013's Between Places, showcases the Norwegian band's knack for mixing a melodic, '60s sunshine pop aesthetic with an '80s-influenced post-punk sound. Showcasing several vocalists who share lead and background vocal duties, Young Dreams feature a variety of harmonized melodies on Between Places that bring to mind such icons of '60s baroque pop as the Beach Boys and Free Design. Which isn't to say you could ever mistake Young Dreams for a retro-pop ensemble. It's as if the band has one ear in the past listening to dusty vinyl pop masterpieces and one ear in the present taking in the most cutting-edge electronic dance sounds. In that sense, Between Places brings to mind the work of such similarly inclined contemporaries as Stereolab and the Flaming Lips. Tracks like the infectious "Fog of War" and echoey, buoyant "Dream Alone, Wake Together" find the band crafting upbeat, melodic lines that rub against club-ready beats, shimmery synths, and unexpected symphonic flourishes, like strings and harps. The album sometimes amazingly sounds as if the Zombies had reunited in 1980 for an album produced by the Buggles' Trevor Horn, resulting in a joyful, 50-minute orgasm of chamber pop jubilation. ~ Matt Collar