HOOVERiii - A Round Of Applause LP (colour vinyl)

Limited edition "Pearl" colour vinyl.

Deluxe matte sleeve with OBI strip and full colour insert.

Highly recommended.

A Round of Applause is an expansive and even, at times, experimental record. Hooveriii often stresses the importance of sequencing, so a record feels inviting instead of jarring. One of the multiple masterstrokes on Hooveriii’s new record is that their musical stylings segue almost seamlessly not only from song to song but within the songs themselves. Considering the record contains 11 tracks spanning less than 40 minutes, it’s a rather heroic feat.

Whereas Water for the Frogs was akin to a jam-band record — most of its seven songs are about five minutes long, including a closing track that lasts nearly 10 — A Round of Applause has potentially broader appeal. Hooveriii consider the new record, which occasionally pays homage to the Canterbury scene, to be a palette cleanser of sorts.

“It's not really a playlist guy or a singles guy,” Bert Hoover admits. “I’m really into the album experience. … So yeah, we made a pop record. But also, to me, this record is very progressive as well, and I thought that that provides a nice balance.”