Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
To bring the art of the whimsical to the attention of the listener and have it bed in, watch it take root and leave a lasting glow of impression is to shine in the warm breeze of the kaleidoscope as it spins round, the reveal of depth and colour is what Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett arguably had in mind, to shake the boundaries in which the pretty Flamingo is rooted and to let it fly, all shades blazing and be seen as unpredictably endearing.
It is the colour of expression that sits at the heart of Olympia’s second album release. For Olivia Bartley who is the creative drive behind Olympia, Flamingo is a gorgeous representation of the objectivity of reward, of understanding grief, of the journey undertaken since her debut release, Self Talk, in 2016, a set of songs that are balanced, but also which are honest in their reflection of the pain we feel and the solace we seek when other’s addictions threaten to overpower our feeling about them. Powerful, moving, but adapted through with the vibrant vision that hope requires.
Across songs such as Hounds, Nervous Riders, Easy Pleasure, Shoot To Forget, First You Leave and the album title track, Flamingo, Olympia’s Flamingo flies in the face of fear and takes your hand gently but with daydream fervour held in belief that makes the listener understand they too can embrace the magnetic dance which unfolds as the flamingo delicately steps through the flame coloured water and sees the reflection in the once rippling tide, now still, and careful of the desire to shun society; to flock together with others and avoid the icy stare of predators who hunt for the decorative plumage that some will wear to show solidarity and the yearning to be free.
A wonderfully envisioned album, songs that remind what it means to hold on tight as the winds of change threaten to shift your viewpoint, but also one that adepts to the gentle twist when required. Flamingo stands firms and proud.
Olympia release Flamingo via EMI Australia on July 5th.
Ian D. Hall