Palace – ‘Ultrasound’ album review: a beautiful portrait of something difficult to convey
THE SKINNY: Writing about music is a funny thing. The job is to critique and try to open a line of dialogue between reviewer, artist and fanbase, a means by which we can all discuss a piece of work and provide our opinions on what an artist was trying to do and how well we think they accomplished that. Most of the time, this is pretty easy, we have no hesitation in describing an album as a masterpiece or a piece of shit, but then, now and then, a record like Ultrasound by Palace comes along, and no matter how hard we look, the words simply fail us.
Often, when an album is incredibly raw and passionate, if we talk too much about the subject matter and how well the person explores it, we ruin it. It’s a bit like when E.B. White wrote about explaining a joke and said, “Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better, but the frog dies in the process.” In other words, some albums don’t need to be read into and critiqued; they should just be enjoyed for their vulnerability and emotion. Ultrasound is one of those albums.
Shortly into the writing process, Palace frontman Leo Wyndham’s partner suffered a late miscarriage. Subsequently, the album became a tell-all as he explored his feelings, beautifully articulating the grieving process. Throughout the LP, he talks about the initial pain, bargaining and acceptance as well as conveying unwavering admiration for his partner. It all comes together incredibly well.
Ultrasound is a testament to how music can articulate feelings that might otherwise be difficult to put into words, and it’s incredibly moving that an artist is willing to share these emotions with their audience. Honestly, it doesn’t need any more dialogue assigned to it than that; give it a listen and enjoy it.
For fans of: Honest music and sound’s ability to both heal and connect.
Ultrasound track by track
Release date: April 5th | Producer: Adam Jaffrey | Label: Virgin Music
‘When Everything Was Lost’: Incredibly tranquil and beautiful. Something that stands out in this track is the vocal melody throughout. There are often too many words in a line, which impacts the speed at which they’re said, but it sounds like alternative-sounding slam poetry instead of something messy. The high notes and the way this track builds make for a stunning opener. [4/5]
‘Son’: Some songs are so beautiful and vibrant that reading too much into them or describing them can be an injustice to their rawness. This is one of those pieces. Just listen and be moved. [5/5]
‘Bleach’: A bit more of an upbeat number, the overall feel is quite 2000s indie, leaning on nostalgia but not relying on it wholeheartedly. The song seems to be one of unity and reliance; the chorus of “We’ll bleach our hair together… We’ll gaze at stars together” is a beautiful note to someone close. [4/5]
‘Nightmares & Ice Cream’: The instrumentation in this piece almost mimics the title as it is both dreamlike and smooth. The overall effect makes for something quite trippy, but there is no escaping this track, which is a great one. [3.5/5]
‘Rabid Dog’: Running chords and plucking guitar in this song is reminiscent of Lou Reed’s ‘Walk On The Wild Side’. The effect is a sound setting that is serene and special. Leo Wyndham continues to sound equal parts excellent and vulnerable with stellar vocal delivery. [3/5]
‘Make You Proud’: Starting as it means to go on, this piece kicks off in full swing with all the band contributing towards a swaying but heavy intro. Trickling guitar copies vocals in the song verses, and the chorus is as epic as the introduction that welcomes them. [4/5]
‘Inside My Chest’: Instrumentation on this song sounds like the kind of thing you would look at the moon to. Once again, Wyndham’s high-pitched vocals are stunning as they glide over the top of a piece that makes you feel like you are floating. The track comes with a gear shift towards the end as the tone and melody change, but it doesn’t lose appeal in these last 40 seconds. [4/5]
‘Love Is A Precious Thing’: Interesting 808-like synth drums usher in this track. Musically, it isn’t too dissimilar to the rest of the album, but those drums act as a break from what we have grown accustomed to and keep the listener engaged. The booming vocals of “Love is a precious thing, lost in oblivion” shine through as the lyrics are layered to build a real atmosphere around them. [4.5/5]
‘Cocoon’: Ambient sounds make up this track; what is completely instrumental still fits perfectly with a lyric-heavy album, as strings and static stay true to the record’s overall feel. [3/5]
‘Say The Words’: This is such an interesting song; if you were just to hear the vocal melody and music, you would think it was an upbeat and fun topic being spoken about, but the opening line of “I cried in the kitchen when I heard she had gone,” show the subject matter is quite sad. It’s worth saying that the subject doesn’t feel betrayed by the music; if anything, the tone shift adds to it. [3.5/5]
‘How Far We’ve Come’: A steady beat and simple chord structure make this an easy-to-listen-to-track, but the stand-out moment has to be the chorus. With vocals dubbed over one another and guitar licks that sound part written, part improvised, all of it makes for a great listen. [4/5]
‘All We’ve Ever Wanted’: This track sounds like a real journey. The lyrics are quite abstract as forest fires, birthdays and levitation are all discussed, along with frozen guitar hits and a fluctuating tone. That being said, given we are nearing the end of the album, a song like ‘All We’ve Ever Wanted’ stands as a testament to Palace for making fully engaging music over a long period. [5/5]
‘Goodnight Farewell’: The opening note is both sweet-sounding and ominous, in keeping with the overriding theme of this album, which has a sad event at its core but sounds amazing in conveying that sadness. The execution of this song shows a real understanding of what Palace was trying to make, as they round off Ultrasound in a way that perfectly surmises the album. [5/5]
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