Phantom Power - 2013 - Static States

Chillwave

[FOR FREE]

http://phantompower.bandcamp.com/album/static-states

• 5 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: You Were Falling In Love For A While

Impressions

Bliss with a hook. That’s ultimately the majority of what I hear in Static States. Interpol (Turn on the Bright Lights) vibes ringing all around surround the listener with calm, night-time city senses. I feel at peace, captivated by the subtlety of sonic perfection. The double layered vocals provide a sense of comfort and relief as they slowly guide what could be the best and most appropriate bass lines I’ve ever heard by a record of this style. Whether the bass is pounding [off the beat] like part of a heavy, vintage drum kit or reeling in with lovable lines [on the beat] like ushering a ghost through NYC’s dirty streets, I was amazed at how deeply influential these low frequency dances were. Keyboard fills up the ears with warm and wavy strokes, and creates the brighter colors, if Static States were a painting; and light guitar presented in a variety of styles sends chills of fond memories. It’s almost a crime to analyze Static States instrument by instrument because flow of noise and mastering are superb. There’s a laid-back aesthetic laying down almost romantic feelings, like wanting to go back to sleep just to dream of that special person. The slight lo-fi quality is what sold me the most, and I usually don’t consider recording quality. But how could I not when it’s so appropriately thick? It’s mixed very professionally but feels like everything was recorded in a cramped bedroom. It’s most nearly that which allowed me to call this my own music, so to speak. One of the best finds I’ve found on this website, by far.

Sea Baths - 2013 - Guilt, Shame and Regret

Post Punk

[FOR FREE]

http://seabaths.bandcamp.com/album/guilt-shame-and-regret

• 5 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Guilt Shame And Regret

Impressions

This album is probably the most unpolished record I've heard in a while on bandcamp. Being recorded in an artists 'messy bedroom' will do that I suppose. And yet, despite its rough around the edges sound, I find myself really enjoying Guilt, Shame and Regret, an EP by Sea Baths. It's got its ear quite clearly turned to early 80's post-punk. The lack of polish gives each track a certain gloomy atmosphere, guitars being plucked, and reverberating in a large, empty space, and what electronics and synths are utilized only add to that feeling of emptiness. Honestly, what drew me to this record is the guitar work. That isn't to say Guilt is filed with mind blowing riffs or complex time signatures, no, it's the sparseness, the simplicity that I liked about them. The absence of any discernible bass is readily and immediately apparent, so the rhythm section is a bit under powered on the low end, but the drum and guitars work well as a duo. A melancholy duo, with the drums supplementing the guitars, keeping time, but nothing more. The lyrics are rather hard to understand – both because singer (and bedroom producing Bath-er) Sebastian Mercado's voice is shrouded in atmospheric echo and because his delivery sounds like warbling from time to time. Not on a Dylan level of completely unrecognizable, but still not easy parse out and probably the worst aspect of an album that already wears its lo-fi on its sleeve. Heck, its entire sleeve is made of lo-fi. Still, I can't turn the album away for having kinda crummy singing. On a technical level bad, but it really does fit in with the rest of the album atmospherically. I can't turn an entire album away for one flaw (not even halfheartedly), and I don't think anyone reading this review should either.  

Cliff Kuhn-Lloyd - 2011 - Hello

Indie Pop

[FOR FREE]

http://cliffkuhnlloyd.bandcamp.com/album/hello

• 5 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Pencil Dance, Angelina

Impressions

The impatient listener may be forgiven if he glossed over this record skipping into track 1 and 5 and decided to not give it any more attention. All the others however, will notice that Cliff Kuhn-Lloyd's Hello is certainly among the better Singer-Songwriter Pop EP debuts they've probably come across. As I already hinted at, it doesnt start off that strong and also ends on a comparably low note, but the 3 tracks in between more than make up for it. Pencil Dance and Maybe We All Win seem a bit detached with their diffuse voice samples and create a haunting atmosphere that really sticks out and manages to be catchy, while being unobtrusive enough so I still can listen to them even when I went through this EP a million times in the past few months. These magnificiently and carefully arranged songs evoke a sense of intrigue and mystique that you'll likely still enjoy hearing and diving into on your subsequent record repeats. The follow-up Angelina forms a nice contrast to that and shows his playful side. Just as catchy, but upbeat and a bit more romantically dreamy, this track is a perfect summer track about his views on a certain special person. Even if there are some obvious quality differences here even within those 5 tracks, Cliff Kuhn-Lloyd doesnt only have potential, he already shows how to employ that potential to make some wonderfully crafted pop songs, and I sure hope its not the end his story.

The Passive Standouts - 2013 - The Passive Standouts

Indie Punk Rock

[FOR FREE]

http://thepassivestandouts.bandcamp.com/

• 9 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: The Bomb Squad Is Dead

Impressions

More like The Passive Standups because that’s all I want to do when I listen. This self-titled album spits out rather gritty tunes with ferocity and flare but nothing of an angry nature. They are a 3 piece punk rock band with what sounds to me like plenty of Arctic Monkeys influence (1^st album). But what makes this album so fun? Layers! As far as the eye can see. No but really, these guys really know how to jam and that’s one of my favorite things about really rad bands. Jamming out is what turns a two minute rock song into a three of four minute I WANNA ROCK song. More importantly, their name is so accurate. They do stand out and yes, in a passive manner. Stand out with a different edge and focus but passively accessible. These talented boys make indie tightly knitted in a punk beat. Sometimes you get a distorted and shreddy solo, sometimes you get a smoothly groovy bass line, and if you’re lucky the drummer will fill you up with nitrogen. This is a band I’d love to watch live.