Clara La San - "Run To You"

British singer Clara La San channels Aaliyah and trip-hop on the breathless track "Run To You." 

Album Review - Nedry: In A Dim Light

Nedry
In A Dim Light
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

London trio Nedry, comprised of Chris Amblin and Matt Parker, on guitars, laptops and synthesizers and Ayu Okakita on vocals, must have a very eclectic set of influences, as their new album In A Dim Light is a broad cross-collision of electronic and guitar based sounds. Imagine a landscape littered with wreckage from post-punk, trip-hop, modern R&B, drum n bass, and dubstep, and you might get a decent picture where this album will take you. Amblin and Parker's musical accompaniment is solid and mostly intriguing, though there seems to be a slight lack of edge with these 10 tracks, and too often it can become a game of spot the influence. Singer Okakita has one of those voices you will either love or hate; guttural one moment, sweet and soft the next, it is difficult to anticipate where her voice is going to take the song. Recalling at times Beth Ditto of Gossip, Mimi Goese of Hugo Largo, Louise Rhodes of Lamb, Liz Bougatsos of Gang Gang Dance, and even Bjork, Okakita is always commanding, if not necessarily that distinctive. Amblin and Parker seem to understand how to use her voice in the context of the songs, never allowing one to overtake the other, and are able to, for the most part, reign in Okakita's more over-the-top qualities.

In A Dim Light gets off with the slow rising "I Would Rather Explode" over droning synths and glacially plucked bass, which recalls the haunting soundscapes of Hugo Largo, whose comparisons become more apt when Okakita's voice comes in almost aping Goese's vocals verbatim. Things pick up considerably with second track "Post Six," which pairs glitchy percussion, synth burbles, and glistening/harsh guitar work underneath an understated vocal from Okakita.



Tracks like "Dusk Till Dawn" and "Violaceae" recall Vespertine era Bjork, with cooed/sighed whispers and minimal musical backing.



"TMA" takes a more forceful approach, its clattering percussion and gradually roaring guitars coming to life when Okakita takes on a Beth Ditto-like firestormer vocal.



Centerpiece track "Float" has a gradually increasing pulse and intensity recalled Mezzanine-era Massive Attack.



Frequently, Nedry add dubstep textures to tracks like "here.now.here" and "Havana Nights" which give just the right touch of modernity and sleekness to otherwise sleepy tracks. A more modern leaning approach like this would have propelled these tracks into better directions. Too often, they fall back onto tried and true formulas but don't add anything fresh or exciting. Final track "Home" begins promisingly with a hazy roll of low end synths and Okakita's raspy voice, adding off kilter drum programming and lusher synth washes, creating a pulsating midtempo track before erupting into a drum n bass outtro. It's a pleasant track, but again, it seems like it could easily have fit on a Lamb record in the early 90s.

In A Dim Light is a frequently interesting record that will grow on you with each listen, however, there is always a nagging suspicion in the back of your mind that either you have heard these songs before, or that the band is just not confident yet to take risks. There really is not a bad song on the album, my enjoyment of it was never compromised by thinking it referred to other bands. It just made me want more from them. The building blocks are here for something amazing, they just need to step out of the shadows of their influences and go forward with confidence.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Download the free mixtape FURTHER from The Weeknd producer DropXLife

Download the free mixtape from The Weeknd producer DropXLife here. FURTHER is a gorgeous set of dense, trip-hop recalling future R&B.

Phantogram: Nightlife - Album Review

Phantogram
Nightlife EP
Rating: Grrrr

After touring relentlessly for the past two years in support of their debut album Eyelid Movies, New York duo Phantogram (Sarah Bartel on vocals/keyboards and Josh Carter on vocals/guitars) have returned with the 6 track EP Nightlife. There is no drastic change to their trip-hop inspired electro-pop, which they have deemed "street beat, psych pop." Street beat is sort of an apropos name to describe their sound, as it easily could be a soundtrack to late night taxi rides in Manhattan; gritty, over-saturated, world-weary. While the sound has not changed much, what has changed is the focus and breadth of the tracks. No longer does it just feel like the work of two people. There are so many details lurking within these tracks, that are revealed slowly over multiple listens.

The sound drops out continuously on "Turning Into Stone," which then erupts back into pure moments of cinematic bliss. The keyboards and drums engaging each other to almost overtake the sardonic vocal of Carter. The songs here are not typical verse/chorus verse; changing things constantly, going where the track begs to be taken.



"Don't Move" is a true highlight of the EP, beginning with an amazing mix of clipped vocal and horn samples, buzzing synths, and dense programming, cutting out sharply to let Bartel's angelic vocals hit front and center, building the sounds back into the strong force it is. The track is a breathtaking display of taking a ton of elements and mixing them perfectly, never overwhelming the listener; knowing when to just drop everything out and let silence work.



Not every track is full of competing sounds, "16 Years" is classic Phantogram, skyscraping melodies and beautiful vocals, Carter's guitar buzzing in and out of the whirl of synths and drum machines.



Air raid sirens punctuate the throbbing, pulsating "A Dark Tunnel" which is the one track that shows a more brutal side to the band. Carter half screaming/shouting the lyrics, discordant percussion and synth stabs, until Bartel plays good cop to Carter's bad, adding her gorgeous vocals as a calming effect, before the noise hits the roof again. The track shows a definite Suicide influence, but marries it well within the Phantogram aesthetic.



"Nightlife" is a nice change of pace from the production onslaught. Lovely acoustic guitars provide the bed for Bartel's sweet, world weary sounding voice, slowly adding sparkling synths and glitchy drum programming and swirling horns.



"Make a Fist" is the only slight disappointment of the record, holding a little too closely to the Phantogram of Eyelid Movies, and sounding like a B-side that didn't make the original cut. But this EP shows that Phantogram are willing to improve on their sound and take small chances that in this case, work extremely well. They were able to focus on their strengths and put out a fabulous teaser for the second album, which now goes on the list for most anticipated sophomore album.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.