BELLA1111V
Release Date: 26 February 2021
When the duo of Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) and Richard Thomas (Dif Juz) released Ojalá, their debut album as Lost Horizons, in late 2017, it marked a return to recording for both for the first time in 20 years. Motivated by a world in need of hope as well as a return to music-making, the 15-track set consisted of improvisation-based instrumentals that Raymonde (bass, guitar, keyboards, production) and Thomas (drums, additional keys and guitar) then passed along to collaborators, who were tasked with adding lyrics and vocals. They take the same approach three years later with the 16-song In Quiet Moments, this time with themes of death and rebirth suggested to the lyricists. (Raymonde's mother had died in the interim.) Released as a double album, with the first half arriving in December 2020 and the full work following two months later, In Quiet Moments begins with "Halcyon," featuring Penelope Isles. They're one of a handful of representatives here from Raymonde's Bella Union label, which also houses Lost Horizons. The song sets the mood with a haunting indie rock created with a low pitch range (established by bass guitar), ringing guitar tones, wistful chord colors, and ghostly, wordless vocals before the plaintive main melody even makes its entrance. At that point, the track remains atmospheric in nature -- as does the album -- with hard-to-discern lyrics, weeping guitar riffs, and a steady, middling tempo. The tone throughout In Quiet Moments tends toward an eerie, even foreboding poignance, if one with grooving rhythms and occasionally brighter arrangements. The next track, "I Woke Up with an Open Heart," for instance, sees the Hempolics' head-bobbing retro R&B accompanied by a syncopated horn section (and lyrics like "I woke up to the light/The enemy"). Elsewhere, returning guests from the first Lost Horizons album include Marissa Nadler ("Marie"), Gemma Dunleavy ("Linger"), and Midlake's Tim Smith ("Grey Tower"), though some of the more memorable moments come from first-timers like John Grant, who lends trippy, multi-tracked vocals to the yearning, drums-free "Cordelia." Its arrangement relies on strings, shimmery keys, and mournful guitar. Among the more theatrical tracks on board are Rosie Blair's "Flutter," a piano-and-strings ballad that evokes a stage and spotlight, and Ren Harvieu's "Unravelling in Slow Motion," which opts for a smoky, jazz lounge feel. All the songs carry the weight of themes already present in the improvisations, however, making for an even more poignant second album by a project that continues to stand out from the melancholy indie crowd.
- Marcy Donelson, Allmusic
“Melodic, heartfelt and healing... John Grant’s vocal on ‘Cordelia’ will lift you out of this world and into the cosmos... A warm blanket of an album in every way.” HiFi Choice – 5 stars *****
“A cornucopia of delights... The duo seem as if they write in Cinemascope, colouring every corner of their musical canvas with detail. At its most epic the sonic tapestry recalls Raymonde’s time in Cocteau Twins, but the variety of guest players gives the record a texture and personality all its own.” Record Collector
“16 atmospheric tracks... ‘Every Beat That Passed’, sung by Kavi Kwai, is in the Cocteau’s mould, but this collection works so well because the singers have scope to make the songs their own, with particularly inspired performances from Ren Harvieu and John Grant.” HiFi News
“Second album from super-duo contains multitudes… With the knowing retro-etherealism of Every Beat That Passed (featuring Swedish vocalist Kavi Kwai) or Cordelia’s new age tides controlled by John Grant, In Quiet Moments opens out its own space to wander, a many-moods piece for complicated times.” MOJO – 4 stars ****
“The array of moods and a distinguished cast of guest singers on this album dazzles and delights.” The i – 4 stars ****
“Former Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde’s search for a vocalist as distinctive as Liz Frazer continues on Lost Horizons’ second album. He and partner Richie Thomas strike gold with Swedish newcomer Kavi Kwai on the ethereal ‘Every Beat That Passed’ while Gemma Dunleavy comes close on the mysterious ‘Linger’, as does a sumptuously serene Ren Harvieu on ‘Unravelling In Slow Motion’.”
Classic Pop – 4 stars ****
“Lost Horizons triumph on second album In Quiet Moments… There’s some textbook ethereal elegance but also much restless energy and joy… Guest vocalists include everyone from John Grant to Porridge Radio.” PROG