Twee and power pop generally dominate, but the soaring guitars and emotional heft of the lyrics give the album a feeling of lush drama as well
The crunchy guitars of “Wishes” and “Chime” deserved at least a shot at the singles charts.
If anything, 'Vapour Trail' pioneered the guitar/strings/keyboards combination used to terrible effect in a thousand sappy alt-rock ballads that would infest the '90s.
While I lean towards the noisier end of the shoegaze spectrum, I can’t think of any litmus test that opening track “Alison” would fail.
A significant refinement of their sound, with enough pop leanings to foreshadow a full-on pitch for mainstream acceptance