Pitchfork

While there's probably no shortage of folks who'd be content to listen to Environ's Kelley Polar recreate the icy disco of his 2005 debut Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens over and over again, new single "Chrysanthemum" finds him going in a slightly different direction. As evidenced by its frosty breathy samples, brittle drums, and spongy synths, Polar's predilection for marrying crisp percussions with gushing melody lines is still very much intact. What's slightly out of character is the chorus, on which Polar serves up a gentle bed of refracted vocals the likes of which wouldn't exactly be out of place on a Free Design record. Not sure how we feel about Kelley mixing his genius up with 60s sunshine pop, but it's nice to have him back all the same.

Happily, the accompanying video doesn't arouse the same ambivalence. Directed by Toronto outfit Nove Studio, it's a 3D motion graphics piece that builds a lovely generative collage out of strange visuals from Polar's wonky lyric. A parade of children's faces, periodic elements, scientists, nuclear missiles and (duh) flowers, "Chrysanthemum"'s grey/yellow palette and combination of simple geometric shapes and hand drawn images reinforce the track's warm, nostalgic feel.

Video: > Kelley Polar: "Chrysanthemum"
[from the Chrysanthemum EP; out 05/01/07 on Environ]