Parannoul (파란노을) is a post-rock/shoegaze/emo project from Seoul, South Korea. Any other information about them is unknown as they operate completely anonymously, though it does seem to be just one person. They first began releasing music online in 2017 using the moniker laststar, which became Parannoul in 2020. He's also used the name Mydreamfever. Parannoul is a name I've seen pop up for the last few years now, and admittedly never took the time to delve into. Even when After The Magic a Topshelf release garnering positive acclaim, I still didn't get around to listening to it. I fully admit to being ashamed of myself, because it took me up until a few weeks ago to experience the lush and gorgeous experience this album has to offer.
It's artwork really encapsulates the feelings this record evokes, with an amplified brightness and burst of colour from the sun's reflection on freshly fallen snow. It's captures that shimmer through 10 tracks of beautiful guitar work that sounds absolutely massive on cuts like "Arrival" and "Imagination" or contemplative like "We Shine At Night" or "After The Magic". It's paired with a varied instrumental palette, which extends to strings and electronics. Vocally, the melodies are absolutely mesmering, particularly "We Shine At Night". Much like Sigur Rós, there's an emotional conveyance despite not being able to understand the actual words, and the vocals work in tandem with the instrumentals to create one seamless work. I'm sure this isn't doing it any justice, it's worth just checking out for yourself, and I look forward to going through his back catalogue to close out this year. Enjoy.
