Station Fantôme (aka Ghost Station) is a trio from Manchester, UK, that are bringing their take of dream pop, electronica, trip hop, alternative psyche rock, with a dash of French disco. They make the sort of music that makes you feel like you’re on a bed of clouds. Consisting of Chloe Sancho, Dean Pattinson and Josh Yeung, the three multi-instrumentalists forgo conventions, making their self-titled debut Station Fantôme one that will definitely keep you riveted for a long time. Filled with a surreal and hazy sound, listeners will immediately be able to latch onto their other-worldly, psychedelic dream pop from the get-go.
Station Fantôme opens up with “Suntrapped,” where some warbling synths and keys come into this recording, fleshing out an electronic vibe. Next, some wonky guitars make for a funk-driven vibe. Once Sancho’s delicate, crystalline vocals came in was when the music really came together. I felt drawn to the jazzy, cool vibes. There was also something sultry to this piece. More ambient synths come into “Stay Awake.” Next up are some funky electronica vibes that exhibit a real cool feel. Sancho’s vocals are equally alluring here as she sings with feeling on this track. The cool key, sparse guitar riffs and beats all come together with ease. The sound surrounds you and makes you feel a part of the ambience. On “Voyager,” more soothing keys come in for an atmospheric sound. Sancho’s vocals evokes a sexy vibe. The electronic sounds added a poignant background to Sancho’s vocals. On “Salt Hills,” more electronic beats and riffs come in for a startling vibe. Keys and synths enter for a soothing feel. Sancho’s vocals are like a breath of fresh air once they arrive. Her dreamy sound plus the background of electronica made for a haunting sound. Out of the stillness comes some steel lap guitar on “For Real.” Next, some keys light up the sounds here, making for a surreal effect. Next, some more jazzy beats come through. I was really feeling the band’s cool flavors here. Sancho’s hushed vocals arrive with its airy vibe. This seemed to be a great way for the band to close the EP. With influences from Mazzy Star, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Connan Mockassin, Portishead, Floating Points, Massive Attack, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Pixies, Little Dragon, Cocteau Twins, Minnie Riperton, Author Russel and many more, I could tell that Station Fantôme exemplifies these artists as well as implementing their own strange and out-of-this-world take to their sound. The band says that their latest record was recorded, mixed and mastered in their home studio. A home recording from front to back, the sound can take on a very lo-fi vibe. At times, it was a little too lo-fi for my tastes. Perhaps the band could think about taking this into a professional studio, where such things like fidelity could be better fleshed out. But in the meantime, I think that the group has great potential. Their sound which is sexy and raw and emotive all at once is something that will have a lot of listeners returning to again and again. With that in mind, be sure you give this a spin today!
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Joe McHugh is How To Chains, a brand new project in which McHugh makes instrumental music memorable again. The guitar in which McHugh plays on his debut album Artifacts, was his late father-in-law’s before it was his and was handed down to him by his family. Artifacts is a legacy of sorts, of having one memento passed down to the next generation. By continuing to preserve his father-in-law’s guitar, he is continuing to preserve the traditions of guitar music while also tailoring the sound to modern modifications. Sounds like voiceovers and field recordings of McHugh eating an apple and some potato chips are some of the things included next to a background ambience of guitar. With that being said, McHugh’s guitar playing itself is really exquisite. He shows great musicianship on his instrument of choice on this 12-track collection.
Artifacts gets going with “Provocation,” where a voiceover comes in alongside the sound of an acoustic guitar. The special effects and the guitar vibes made for an ambient sound. I think it worked well here. The acoustic guitar in the background, I think, added to the storyline of what the announcer is saying. “Heartbeat” picks up with some intricate finger-picking from McHugh. The sound adds a relaxing ambience to the acoustic vibes. I felt myself calming down as I listened to the music. It went on to serve as a great mood enhancer. Percussion is a highlight here as it gave this number a lively feel. Acoustic guitar comes in alongside the sound of the metronome on “Tribute To The Survivalists.” It made for an interesting interplay. At the start of “Inside The Swell,” there was a tropical flavor to the sounds here that I thought sounded really amazing. The voiceovers in the background also added to the ambience. Once more McHugh’s melodious musicianship comes through on “Mundane Chronicles.” It made for a great listening experience. I thought the acoustic guitar sounds were very atmospheric and ear-pleasing. McHugh plays the guitar and in the background, you can hear him munching on some chips and an apple. Some melancholy guitar enters with a pensive and introspective vibe on “Alchemize Me.” The sound here takes its time in evolving. I think the synthetic strings added an interesting layer to the music. “Three Wicked Wastes Of Space” was a 180 move from the artist. The track begins with some drum machines and then comes the sound of the acoustic guitar. The drum machines added a heavy and aggressive vibe to the rock music. More moody and pensive vibes come from the acoustic guitar on “Hubristic Phases.” It again made for a great ambience Next, the music picks up for a more upbeat and catchier vibe. More moody ambience comes from the guitar on “No Exceptions To Acceptance” as McHugh chooses to close with this moving send-off. Though this is an instrumental album, it is so much more than that. Announcer voiceovers and field recordings go on to add to the ambience of these set of songs. Though McHugh’s guitar playing certainly does stand out, I think by incorporating special effects to his sound goes on to give that extra kick to his recording. I liked what he has done here and I believe there will be others who will agree with me. If you’re up for some unconventional instrumental music, then this should do. Be sure to give this a spin today!
Vern and the Spacemen is the solo lo-fi rock project of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Trey Shilts. Hailing from Los Angeles he has been writing and recording music since he was in high school. More recently he released there is peace in the eternal valley which is a four-song EP.
Shilts describes the EP as a “14-minute exploration of the numbing, surreal horror of gradual loss and death—and one that culminates in an exuberant celebration of impermanence.” His music reminded me of artists like Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver especially their more folk oriented side. The EP begins with the intimate and warm “over the moon” which is a fairly straightforward song revolving around strummed guitar and vocals. His vocals are about as soft as a pillow and there’s a feeling of melancholy but perhaps even more is the sense of solace. There’s a comfort to the song that you can just sit in. The second song “stuck” contains a little more of an arrangement but not much. There’s an additional lead guitar. The vocals sound fantastic on this song. Paul Simon came to mind when listening to this song especially when I heard the whistling. I really liked how the song was mixed. The vocals feel like warm clouds which might be due to subtle vocal harmonies. “Ocean Wind” continues with a similar quality. I loved the guitar patterns on this song and the reverb almost acts like a second instrument. There are these pads that come though on the song that make it feel very dreamlike and ethereal. The biggest moments on the album come around the two-minute-and-thirty-second mark. It sounds epic but in the most subtle of ways that's a little hard to explain. “it goes so fast” is a change in energy. This song is a full arrangement and is this interesting mix of power pop and shoegaze almost as if Weezer and My Bloody Valentine combined forces. Although Elliott Smith also came to mind. It felt like a mix of all my favorite bands. Overall, I thought this was a great EP. It’s emotive, the songwriting is top notch and the delivery is exceptional.
Nathan Schram is a Grammy-winning composer and violist with The Attacca Quartet in New York. Schram has quite a resume, having collaborated with artists like David Crosby, Becca Stevens, David Byrne, Itzhak Perlman and many others. His recordings with Attacca have been released on Sony Classical, GroundUP Music, Nonesuch and New Amsterdam Records. His record Orange won the Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance in 2020. His newest solo release is titled Nearsided on which he creates nearly all the music and sounds himself.
Like many artists caught in the pandemic, Schram decided to use his down time to “learn new instruments, production techniques and artistic perspectives. This album is a product of me realizing that I didn’t have to be held back by anything any more. If I wanted to make music on synthesizers, I would. If I wanted to sample and chop vocal samples from my wife, Becca Stevens, I would. If I wanted to write a nearly unplayable string quartet with an equally unwieldy electronic drum track, I did.” Schrams’ influences are diverse, ranging from Mahler’s symphonies to Radiohead’s Kid A to Kendrick Lamar’s good kid. Schram co-produced the album with Christopher Botta, with mixing by Botta and mastering by Nate Wood. Schram says he wants listeners to “walk away like one does with a great movie. A little laughing, a little crying and a big breath of fresh air.” “Golden Gate” sets the tone of the album in titanic fashion, almost literally: it suggests huge fog horns or ship horns, as well as the wall-of-sound keyboards from the very first Alice Cooper track ever recorded, “Titanic Overture.” However he did it, it’s an amazing and immersive sound. “Portalegre” is the track where Schram creates “subtle chattering rhythms” by sampling and editing his wife’s treated vocals, which give them a Kate Bush feel. To this layman the beat feels African, with expansive string overdubs, unleashed synths and sound manipulations pulling it all together. It’s wild music, but never less than beautiful no matter how far out it seems. Additional contributions are by Antonio Sanchez. There’s a long rising chord in the middle, like the orchestral hurricane from “A Day In The Life” transposed to a different artist. Many of the vocal tracks sound like they’ve been pitched a full octave, which is an eerie, munchkin-like sound that I really like. “Pathetique” is described by Schram as an “Intense, focused performance (that is) both emotional and suggestive of a haunted extremity.” I’m not sure I understand what he means, but this track again features manipulated vocals and synth/piano tracks that bend and melt and even bleed across the audio canvas. For me it evokes windswept desert vistas in a scorching heatwave. Shahzad Ismaily contributes Moog and “further treatments.” Schram’s viola is clearly the main player, though it takes a while for the familiar tones of that stringed instrument to fully form in ones’ ear. “Bad Dance Moves” features what Schram calls “playful clapping and tight grooves, (with) a core melodic figure surrounded by numerous further layers.” This track is further evidence of Schram’s facility with editing and production: you can tell that the samples are all quite different, but they all fall in line to the wild, unpredictable beat Schram has subjected them to. Schram’s speed and virtuosity on viola here rivals Jimi Hendrix. High energy and recorded with unchecked abandon. Love it! “Interlude” is a shorter track that feels like chamber music in a haunted forest. Melodies and variations all share the same sonic space, sounding familiar yet also like a broadcast from the furthest reaches of the Universe. “In Medias Res” brings us a bit closer to earth, as it resembles traditional chamber music a bit more, though with a wild “Mountain Man” beat and almost guitar-like slashes on the cello or standup bass. The riffs collected and performed here are constantly surprising, with a prog-like array of time signatures. Christopher Both and Andrew Yee also appear. “Waterbear” is a special song for Schram, as it was written in the aftermath of grieving a miscarriage: “It’s about beauty and loss and of the spiritual connection to things that don’t, and won’t, exist. It’s a precious monument to the smallest and briefest lives… an accompaniment to a snippet of documentary footage that never was.” Without knowing this I’m not sure how I would have approached this track, as it feels alternately frightening and weirdly comforting. Again, Schram creates chamber music from some kind of parallel universe, with his viola performances always compelling, even while seemingly having trouble breaking through from his world to ours. “Where We Are Not” ends the album with a collaboration with a certain David Crosby, who I believe you may have heard of. “For both David and I, this song is about friends each of us lost in the past and what they left behind.” The melodies here are deeply felt and heartrendingly beautiful, and it’s impossible to know where Schram ends and Crosby begins, or vice versa. It’s clearly the most traditionally classical track and a nice conclusion. Though I’ve done my best to describe the music within this fine work, there’s really no substitute for experiencing it yourself, and I urge you to give this amazing and challenging artist a listen.
Haley Batchelder is a singer/songwriter who is born and raised in Boston, MA, but is currently based in Denver, CO. Though The Voice Inside is her first EP, the artist has been playing music her whole life. On her new EP, Batchelder upholds a child-like wonder to this set of songs. With lyrics coming from a very personal place for her, when writing these songs the singer/songwriter set out to create something that will resonate deeply with listeners. And I think she has succeeded here. With her intimate vocals and up-close-and-personal storytelling, what Batchelder has here will be sure to offer up a long-lasting connection.
The Voice Inside begins with “What the World Needs,” where some melodious piano comes in. Soon, Batchelder’s emotive vocals come in with its alluring sound. Her lyrics are very inspirational and uplifting and I felt moved by her music. Next, some guitar chord progressions come in, further solidifying the sound. I thought her acoustic vibe here sounded great. Some more acoustic guitar vibes come in on “Acceptance.” The guitar alone accompanies Batchelder’s fiery and expressive vocals here. This made for a mesmerizing performance. “Ripples” is another stripped back number. The quiet sounds of guitar and vocals together weave into a compelling folk piece. Batchelder once more sings with feeling here as the music takes flight. Through the ambience of atmospheric guitars comes Batchelder’s vocal harmonies on “What You’ve Been Looking For.” The sound, though simply rendered, pulsated with an emotionally powerfully quality. “Open Wide” was another piano-based ballad. Batchelder sings with feeling. I think this was another stirring ballad from the artist. I believe a lot of thought goes into her process and it definitely shows here. Gradually, the sounds open up with a full band undertaking. This made for a soaring ballad feel. “What The World Needs (Reprise)” was a 35-second reprise that highlighted more of Batchelder’s shining and powerful sound here on this closer. There is a sort of wonder to these songs as Batchelder examines the world around her. During times of trial, hardship and even error, this group of songs will be like a balm to the soul. One of the genres that is listed in her Bandcamp page is Christian and I think Batchelder’s music falls into that category without alienating any other secular genres. There’s a lot of hope on this EP that I think will speak to both Christians and non-Christians alike. This folk/acoustic record is a good intro from the artist and as she continues down her journey as a singer/songwriter, there will be, of course, more room for growth. With that being said, I look forward to seeing more great things from this artist!
Becca McIvor is an artist from Auckland, New Zealand who recently released Butterflies. McIvor explains the EP “describes how one might feel during, and after a breakup and finally moving on.”
The EP is very pop oriented and I found a lot of the songs something you could dance to. First up is “Loose Ends” and it might be the highlight. The song features really cool production and sound design. I also thought the song sounded slick and smooth. McIvor’s vocals sound great and on this song emotion is in all the right places. Great opener. “Let Me Go” begins with what sounds like a xylophone. There are some bass heavy elements which create the energy. The vocals are melodic and I found the melodies catchy the first time I heard them. One thing I thought was very unique was how the drums worked in the song. They can completely change the energy. Around the two-minute-and-thirty-second mark the song takes off. I loved that section. The title track “Butterflies” sounded like the single to me. The song is upbeat and very catchy. It’s the type of song where you will sing the chorus in the shower. There’s a beautiful mix of orchestral strings that meld with reverb laced vocals during the chorus. “Replaceable” is up next and sort of a bubbly song that is sweet and tender while also mixing in joyful emotional resonance. The end of the song really pops. I was sort of expecting a ballad and it came with the final song entitled “Alright.” This is arguably the best song on the release. The song starts off melancholy and intimate with vocals and piano. There are some reverberations that happen and you can feel something brewing in the song. Slowly but surely the song starts to blossom. A steady bass drum kicks in with some atmosphere and there’s a hopeful feeling in the air. It starts to feel a little like a Coldplay song towards the end. The thing that stood out to me was that McIvor has a unique style. It’s definitely pop but she puts her own spin on it which is a very good thing in my opinion. Take a listen.
In 2020 Marco Carraro released Tornado! And is now back with The Youthquaker. Carraro mentions “while his first album featured a unique blend of shoegaze indie rock pushing a silly mix of lo-fi, 70s German Kosmische Musik, and jangly power pop, his second album takes on a harder more psychedelic rock sound, focusing on wah wah guitar solos and solid bass and drums.”
The album starts with the title track “The Youthquaker” which is one of the highlights on the album. It’s quite a statement when a song begins with a guitar solo. The verse swells with synths, a fuzzy over driven bass and memorable vocals. If one guitar solo wasn’t enough there’s another one around the corner. There’s a longer breakdown a little past the halfway point which brings a stillness with it before one more guitar solo which is the best one on the song. “No Man's Land” contains jangly guitar chords, dynamic beats and well delved vocals. Some of the guitar parts in the song reminded me of Radiohead mixed with a ’70s aesthetic. “Calling You” felt like the highlight on the album to me. This song sounded somewhere between The Doors and The Velvet Underground. Especially the latter. There seems to be another vocalist on the chorus which adds some heft. The drums on this song were great and a little unpredictable in a good way. “Spitting at the Moon” was really relaxing. There’s the sound of water, bass, guitar and vocals. I don’t say this in a negative way but this is a song that is so relaxing you could fall asleep. The sound of water is really the kicker. “Escape” will wake you up. This song has a lot going on. There’s basically two lead vocal parts on this song. It was a lot to take in. The guitar was really well done. “Real Love Dance” is a slow moving song but also quite haunting. It was one of my favorites on the album. “Be Yourself” is a solid song as well and has Mac Demarco type vibes on this song. “Goodbye Youth” is a ten-plus minute song that you could divide into three sections. There’s sort of the trippy section first, then a synth led groove and finally a breakdown section. Oddly enough some of the vocals sounded like John Lennon to me. The mixing is a bit varied here and the proper mastering job would help with a discrepancy in volume. Overall, I think this is the artist's best release yet and l look forward to hearing his next one which should be right around the corner.
Reanimation is the brainchild of Michael Shanahan. This solo project started in 2006, but seeds were planted much earlier, during Shanahan’s downtime between other music-world commitments. Shanahan has made an impact ever since and recently released A Fear of Falling.
Shanahan mentions “Like much of the Reanimation catalog, the latest "A Fear of Falling" is an album best listened to at night, where the darker mood and lyrical themes more successfully wash over the listener.” “A World Away” is the opener and the darker mood he mentions is definitely in the music. That being said there was something cerebral about it as well. The groove comes in and is completely on board with the shoegaze-like aesthetics. I loved the hall reverb on the vocals. The song is deceptively catchy and felt like it was an ever shifting soundscape. Great opener. “Ambulance Chasing” is up next and has a very unique soundscape. There was something nostalgic about it but not saccharine. The shoegaze aesthetic really hits when the vocals come in and intensify at this point. There’s also this very cool sounding breakdown and I have to say I was really enjoying the production and how explosive the song was. “This Haunted Place” is next and the energy slows down a bit into what you might call a ballad. There’s a triumphant feeling to this song. I kept on picturing climbing a mountain for some reason. Shanahan delivers a very emotive vocal performance. “Cruel Desire” was a highlight. I was reminded of a band like The Jesus and Mary Chain with a more groove base approach. There seemed to be some type of electronic percussion element which I thought sounded very unique. The hook soars. This is arguably the best song on the release. “Any Trace of You” is definitely a darker song. The guitar work in particular was exceptional. There’s some very cool interplay between both guitars. This song also contains one of my favorite vocal melodies and I thought it was very cool how the mood of the song could change without much notice. “How Will I Sleep?” is very dark. I loved this one and it has resemblance to the band Suicide and some of the songs from the late Scott Walker. Last up is “She Always Dreams Alone” and had my favorite groove on the album. This sounded like early Portishead that I consider to be an amazing band. The bass work is slick and the whole song has a noir quality as if you are a detective working a case in the seedy underbelly. It also builds into something much more epic. This is a great album from beginning to end. The music sounded like it belonged on the now defunct Creation Records. Recommended.
The Austins is Barbara Simpson (vocals/percussion), Michael O'Brien (guitar), John Hanley (guitar/harmonica), Sandy Mercer (bass) and Rab Campbell (drums). They are a Scottish band who have a strong Americana vibe and recently released their self-titled album The Austin’s EP.
The band starts with “You Make Me Want To Do Wrong” which begins with jangly yet clean strummed guitar chords, a 4/4 beat and a steady beat. It’s definitely filled to the brim with Americana spirit. Simpson sounds great on lead. She displays her range on this song. There’s just the perfect amount of grit and attitude in her voice. The song is fairly straightforward but quite catchy and fun. It felt like a song you would want to hear on a Saturday in a live setting. “1975” is even better. The song does sound like a classic rock sound from around that time period. This song immediately resonated with me. It feels like a ballad with a little more rocking out than normal. The thing that really pops in this song is the chorus. I was hooked the first time I heard it. There are also some subtle things like the tambourine which are added about halfway through the song which might be small but actually make a difference. “Rex Harrison” is the real ballad in the batch. The guitar seems to have a little more reverb on them and the song is at a lower BPM. I think this is arguably the most impressive vocal performance. The chorus in particular is where Simpson absolutely nails the performance. The last song “Woman” is also a ballad but felt more motivational and closer. It starts with guitar and vocals. The line repeats “If truth is a woman”. Soon enough the whole band comes into the mix. The next time the chorus comes with “If truth is a woman” is more powerful and nostalgic. There’s also a really nice sounding guitar that is brief but well done. The outro is glorious. There’s a lot to appreciate about this release. They aren’t reinventing the wheel but there’s a lot to appreciate between the classic Americana sound, well written songs and delivery. They are by far one of the best Americana sounding bands I have heard from Scotland.
Sara Maltinsky started Moltensky back in 2012 but has been a musician for much longer. It all began back when she was six years old and sang in choir. Since then she has been growing into the artist she is today. Her last release was nine years ago and mentions since that time she has a lot to say and unpack which came out on her recent release I feel better now.
This is a big sounding album. There’s a lot of inventive production, instrumentation and other elements that scatter across the thirteen songs. “And I Was Never The Same” is the opener and this song alone could cover an entire review. It is one of the songs that felt like it would work on the dance floor. I loved the airy beat and movement but what’s perhaps is even more interesting is when it loses the beat. One of the band's that came to mind for me was Zola Jesus. It wasn’t just this song however. “Some Mood” is a very intimate song. Some of this has to do with the production but also the way the instrumentation was presented. There’s subtle modulation on the vocals which I thought was tasteful and benefited the songs. “That's How It Works” is an interesting mix of elements. Even without the vocals I would love listening to this song with a set of headphones. “Dread” is one of the highlights. The drum sound and the darkness on this song was so cool. I feel like “Different Perspective” was made to follow “Dread.” It felt like what could happen if you look at the other side of dread. The song feels celestial and otherworldly. There’s something very serene about it. One of the songs I liked but felt a tad out of place was “This Crate.” Her vocals sounded incredible but the sort of lo-fi guitar was very different from the complex production that was on the other songs.“When She” is definitely one of the best songs on this album and might be my favorite in the batch. This song soars and is somewhere between Lady Gaga and Zola Jesus. The closer “I Feel Better Now” was quite beautiful. There’s something cerebral about this song. This is a pretty incredible batch of songs that feels like a journey. There are some high moments which land and are repeat worthy. Another thing was the range of emotions. Maltinsky explores a lot of shades of gray. Take a listen. |
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