Mountain Lake Park

The Reds, Pinks & Purples' 2022 Album of the Year contender "Summer At Land's End" handily solidified the status of Glenn Donaldson's project as one of the most skilled exemplars of lush, textural, mysterious, atmospheric pop in YEARS. Channeling the spare beauty of peak Felt and mid-80s Factory/Creation label swoon through the fog-shrouded vibe of San Francisco's less well-traveled byways, The Reds, Pinks & Purples have achieved what on paper seems almost impossible: forging something truly distinctive and absolutely vital from such familiar ingredients. What generally sets the RPPs apart is Donaldson's unerring ability to pen and arrange the perfect pop song, repeatedly and always of the highest quality. "Mountain Lake Park" originated as a bonus vinyl-only album with limited pressings of "Summer At Land's End" and expands on the band's remit by surveying eleven gorgeous instrumental tunes. Recalling Durutti Column or the early Cherry Red label, "Mountain Lake Park" is an exercise in ambience and mood, showing off Donaldson's facility with both a 6-string and a tape recorder, capturing all of the beauty and mystery of his beloved San Francisco in these spare, haunting songs. It adds yet another facet to the already-fascinating Reds, Pinks & Purples story and definitely whets the appetite for what might come next. Judging from the assurance and breadth of "Summer At Land's End" and "Mountain Lake Park" it could be just about anything. "...Inspired by Colin Newman's "Provisionally Entitled the Singing Fish," Love Tractor's first LP and Felt's instrumental side, maybe trying to match the run time of Husker Du's "Zen Arcade"..." -- Glenn Donaldson