This album starts off with “Diving Woman”, and right off the bat, I think the biggest thing to take notice of is the production. This is a GIGANTIC step up from the sort of Low-Fi Dream Pop we got on Michelle’s debut. However, it’s a pleasant intro. It’s steady and shows off Michelle at her dreamiest. I’m also getting a serious Deerhunter vibe too in the very steady rhythms of these instrumentals. But true to the title of this album, there’s some seriously spacey stuff on here overall. However, throughout all of the chaos and loud sound effects, Michelle keeps things pretty under control due to the sturdy instrumentals and her very charming performance. I don’t really feel like this track needed to be almost 7 minutes long. But if you’re not familar with Michelle’s solo work, this is a very patient, sweet track that will warm you up quickly. Honestly, this is far from “track of the album” status, but it’ serves its purpose as a solid opening. And most importantly, it ushers in the very spacey sound of the rest of this album. Up next is the much sweeter and much more dreamlike (as well as less structured) “Road Head”. But to be perfectly honest, this is exactly the sound I wanted to hear from Michelle. When I say less structured, what I mean is this one just seems to come to Michelle so easily. I love the very lush vocal harmonies on here, as well as the continued spacey vibe even though it’s a little more subtle here. Michelle honestly really shines in moments like this, among these seriously hazy atmospheres. Not to mention, those very whimsical keyboards are a VERY nice touch. “Road Head is one seriously sweet Dream Pop tune. However, the hands down song of the album is “Machinist”. On this one, the very dreamy and glistening vibe to this entire album continues, and man is it ever sweet. I love the atmosphere on “Machinist”, I already knew Michelle was on to something with this very spacey sound but this really drives it home. But with the better production of tracks like this, her very spacey sound reaches new levels easily. As far as a really pop tune goes, this is easily the catchiest track here. And while I’m not usually a huge fan of vocal effects, I feel like on the effects on Michelle’s vocals here give this one so much more depth. Everything about “Machinist” really makes me pretty damn happy. It’s almost even got a funk to it, while it remains very breathy and heavily atmospheric. There’s almost a weird K-Pop feel to it, but all together this track comes off fantastic. But then I hear a track like “Planetary Ambience”, and it’s a little off putting for me. I don’t have a problem with instrumental breaks, sometimes they break up an album really well. But I feel like this just kind of breaks up a really solid streak that Michelle was on. Not to mention, the sound effects here are just a little too much. So no, I’m really not into it.
Thankfully, Michelle gets quickly back on track with the title track “Soft Sounds From Another Planet”. I do enjoy how quiet this track is, and how much more in the Low-Fi direction it goes. This track through and through is all about Michelle’s performance. And then of course later in the track, we get this great moment where all the production cleans up and this one instantly becomes a straight up indie jam. “Soft Sounds From Another Planet” is smooth and pleasant, and shows Michelle at her loudest and strongest, to be honest. While I would have personally liked this track to be a little dreamier, there are a whole lot of elements that I can’t help but love. For example, my GOD that surf rock inspired slide guitar that pops in eventually is to die for. At the end of the day, I do enjoy this track, but I feel like it takes a little too long to get going for my liking. This album continues to offer up its slower and softer tracks with “Boyish”. I do however have to give Michelle credit because on moments like this her performances become just so huge. And as this one goes on, the very dreamy synths and elegant harp turn this one into a stunning Space Odyssey. Tracks like “Boyish” literally take the ideas that Michelle was working with on her debut and just make them so much bigger and grander. The result is a strangely retro tinged pop tune which also comes off pretty modern. And it’s quite stunning. The strings here are breathtaking, Michelle’s performance is pure, it’s moments like this that stop me in my tracks and think Michelle is seriously onto a lot. Then we have “12 Steps” which takes a step in the more Indie direction in every way. But I just like the way this one instantly pop out and shows a little more attitude from Michelle. There’s honestly almost no dreaminess here at all, but miraculously it remains focused and really interesting. I almost feel like this is the kind of track Waxahatchee would have done maybe 3 years ago or so. Overall, hell yes this is a really decent Indie tune with no gimmicks, which is something I really wasn't expecting to hear. Not to mention, as much attitude as Michelle brings in for “12 Steps”, there’s plenty of really sweet moments too. So, yeah, this works wonders. Then we have “Jimmy Fallon Big”, which sadly is the exact opposite in every way. This one sounds like some massive, celestial soundscape, but it’s almost too much. It gets to the point where there really isn’t anything else going on at all. The instrumental sadly is a little boring, and while Michelle’s performance is still pretty decent, without a proper base behind her this one falls flat so quick. And being one of the shortest tunes here, I have trouble enjoying “Jimmy Fallon Big” at all to be honest. However, some of Michelle’s later, bigger vocals do redeem this one a little.
“Body Is A Blade” shows Michelle going back in the sort of straight up Indie direction that I think she's been pulling off surprisingly well. It almost has a weird Alex G vibe, which is funny because I’m pretty damn sure she’s touring with him. But there is just this serious sorrow in her vocals here that I think she puts together really well. There aren’t any spacey motifs here, there’s no fluff in sight, it’s just another really solid indie tune. But while it is straightforward, there are still some very breezy and whimsical instrumentals making this one not seem out of place either, it’s wonderful. “Till Death” is the dreamiest track we’ve heard in a WHILE here, and it’s some seriously relaxing stuff. But man, this is some pretty depressing subject matter for the most part. While I wasn’t totally into the first minute or so, when the instrumentals pop in around Michelle this one gets pretty stunning fast. I do really enjoy the very jazzy horns here and the steamy atmosphere. Sadly though, I really wish I was a little more into some of Michelle’s vocals on this one. It’s a sweet tune, and the last 30 seconds or so get surprisingly grand and epic, so it’s far from bad. Then we have a much more folky jam, “This House”, which I don’t really know how to feel about. Instrumentally this one falls pretty flat. But Michelle’s performance here is absolutely gigantic. I don’t know why Michelle keeps tossing up her sound and mixing things up because I really do think she had something earlier with some of her spacier sounds. And let me just say, if I thought some of the earlier tracks sounded like Waxahatchee tunes, that goes double for this one. I don’t think this is a bad tune at all, but with a few more instrumentals it could have been so much more. This album ends off with a curve ball, “Here Come The Tubular Bells”. Out of nowhere, we get this powerful, ambient finish to the album, and it actually comes off really well. The bells are sort of ominous, and the very heavy synth drones make this one even darker. Michelle certainly has something with this sound, she just needs to expand on it.
Rating: 7.9/10
Give A Listen To: "Need To Feel Your Love", "Just Can't Get Enough", "Turn It Up", Pure Desire"
Overall Thoughts: I honestly really think Michelle is on to something with this very spacey brand of Dream Pop. It's something we haven't really heard from the genre in a while. She just really needs to stick with it, and I hope she does. Interestlingy enough though, when she does branch out into more ambient and more straight up Indie material, the results are equally as interesting. Just stay focused girl, and you'll seriously make something that everybody is gonna remember.
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