One might expect a
Stereolab rip-off from a band named
Deleted Waveform Gatherings, but in fact,
Complicated View is a rather awesome blend of pure '70s AM pop (opening track "Morgue Itch" has a loping, bass-powered groove pitched exactly halfway between Wings' "Helen Wheels" and Tommy James' "Draggin' the Line"), trippy neo-psych alt-rock à la
Beck and, yeah, a little
Stereolab as well in the vintage synth burbles that decorate the edges of these solidly constructed pop songs. Singer/songwriter Øyvind Holm has his influences on display a bit (Marc Bolan deserves some credit for Holm's deliciously whiny vocal style), but songs like the propulsive title track and the throbbing, tightly wound freakbeat of "Emily Barratt's Dead" are so instantly likable that it seems churlish to list the obvious touchstones. Fans of
Cotton Mather's
Kontiki who found Robert Harrison's new
Future Clouds & Radar project too weird and sprawling for their tastes will be all over this. ~ Stewart Mason