Memories Come True, the first album from
Cliffie Swan, the band formerly known as
Lights (until a legal rumble with the Canadian pop star of the same name forced them to change it), isn't so much a debut as it is a reintroduction to the trio's intriguing collision of AM radio pop and acid rock. They might be Brooklynites in the 2010s, but the soul of their music lies in early-'70s California or perhaps Australia:
Sophia Knapp's honey-dripping voice echoes
Olivia Newton-John uncannily, particularly on "Dream Chain," which opens the album with country-pop that's shattered when heavy riffs crash the party. Interestingly, after facing off with the northern
Lights,
Cliffie Swan's music is more focused and even poppy, setting them apart from the other ladies re-imagining psychedelia, like
Warpaint and
No Joy. The more traditional, and even corny, their songs get, the more interesting they are, and their unabashedly pretty vocals and lyrics are as girly and sweetly hippie-ish as a toe ring.
Knapp tells raindrops they'll be a rainbow someday on "So Long," waits for the day when the jewel in your heart will shine over a truckin' groove on "Soft and Mean," and sounds especially angelic on "Yes I Love You," a bouncy piece of bubblegum pop that evokes roller skates, tube socks, and glittery lip gloss. Later, the women of
Cliffie Swan evoke smoky summer nights on the witchy-sexy title track and "Take It Easy," while "California Baby" sounds like it should be played on an eight-track in a van with shag carpeting. When
Cliffie Swan return to the heavier, more expansive sounds they explored as
Lights, as on the acid rock excursion "Full of Pain," they pull it off ably, but they just sound more enjoyable and unique when they focus on their pop side. Regardless, Memories Come True is a strong new beginning for this band. ~ Heather Phares