Hello, Blue Roses

In the tradition of lovers making music to make love to, Dan Bejar and Sydney Vermont present Hello, Blue Roses, the new collaboration between the Destroyer/New Pornographer and his artist wife. On their debut full-length, the newlyweds tie the knot with simple, carefree pop, not trying too hard to please but doing so all the same. Vermont handles the writing and Bejar the arrangements, keeping them stripped-down and mainly acoustic, with the odd synth floating in now and again. Vocally, Vermont takes the lead, her airy soprano driving the songs, as Bejar’s love-it-or-hate-it voice sticks to backups. What this makes for is some light, breezy, ’70s-styled femme folk with a dash of ’80s Kate Bush; it’s a bare, laid-back approach that is not nearly as adventurous as other Bejar-helmed projects. However, the couple deliver some great pop moments; they’re just more subtle and humble than you would expect. And perhaps that’s what they wanted with Hello, Blue Roses: to show that beauty is in the details.