The Pastels'
Katrina Mitchell and
Stephen Pastel created the Geographic label in their native Glasgow, and they've gone on to release albums by
Future Pilot A.K.A.,
International Airport,
the Bill Wells Trio, and
Nagisa Ni Te. Having a soft spot for intricate indie sounds, the Pastels collected new cuts for the impressive and artsy compilation You Don't Need Darkness to Do What You Think Is Right and aimed to introduce their favorite sounds to both Japan and North America. From the quirky space sounds of
Future Pilot A.K.A.'s "Remember Fun (Like We Was Young)" to
Barbara Morgenstern's avant-garde electronics on "Kleiner Ausschnitt," indie rock shows a new face. The velvety sweetness of Sister Vanilla's "Pastel Blue" is reminiscent of early post-punk. Sister Vanilla's Linda Reid, who is the sister of
the Jesus and Mary Chain's
Jim and
William Reid, and
Ben Lurie compose a dreamy, poetic soundscape and Reid's plaintive vocals are exquisitely charming. Strip away such moderation and absorb the warm curling of
Telstar Ponies' "Farewell, Farewell," and
My Bloody Valentine's
Kevin Shields builds upon that on "Outro." Simple guitar swirls frolic over hazy synth loops; two and half minutes just isn't enough. You Don't Need Darkness to Do What You Think Is Right isn't ambitious or overstated; it's monolithically correct for the indie rock loyalist. ~ MacKenzie Wilson