Pitch Perfect
  • Pitch Perfect
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact

brocken spectre - grand kids

8/21/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Brocken Spectre

Grand Kids
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
Brocken Spectre released a single last year called “Parallel Dances” that is an infectious, melodic single that would sit very comfortably with music fans who have a knack for bands like Local Natives and Grizzly Bear. Check their single out if you haven’t heard it yet. They got a little bit of attention from their single and it motivated them to create an EP, which would eventually become Grand Kids. It’s a six-song that while isn’t innovative enough to make you jump to the heavens and claim you found the next big thing but instead brings a nice flow of chamber pop that’s delicately crafted enough to keep you and your friends interested. Brocken Spectre is a four -piece composed of Colin Ablitt (vocals, guitar), Colin Campbell (drums), Andrew Cleasby (bass, vocals) and Nic Campbell (guitar, synth, vocals). Ablitt is diverse vocalist who isn't afraid to use his falsetto voice. For the most part the vocals are straightforward. They are pretty raw, don’t have a lot of reverb on them and are rarely manipulated. Campbell is an impressive drummer as he seems to meld to the songs and brings a wide palette of distinctive beats. He uses rim shots to accents certain parts, knows when to restrain himself and knows when to control the song. Take a listen to “The Fourth Wall” which demonstrates some of his versatility. 

In fact the first thing you hear on the album is Campbell. The song “Frost” starts with a drum beat that quickly gets submerged with an electric guitar whose picked notes are saturated with a soft, subtle warm distortion. Cleasby picks his spots wisely as the bass is not the focal point of this song but if his bass work was not there it would be immediately noticeable. “Marionette King” utilizes a fat, lead synth that made me get into dance mode but my feelings were premature as the song doesn’t head in that direction. Instead I was introduced to waves of cymbals and heavily reverbed guitars. The song was good but seemed to have a bit of an identity crisis and I am not sure it knew what it wanted to be. They were able to create a chill, relaxed atmosphere on “Anteros & I” that eventually picks up its pace and becomes the song that is most likely to get you out of your seat.

Grand Kids closes with the excellent “Corlioghost.” Everything seems to come together on this song. They found a very nice palette of sounds and tones that was missing from some of their previous songs. The song is a great way to close the album and feels like it ought to be continued. My guess is that they already have a full length in mind.
Become A Fan
bandcamp
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

       Critique/insight

    We are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent  music that is available for your listening pleasure. We feature a wide variety of genres like americana, electronic, pop, rock, shoegaze, ambient, and much more.

    Massive thanks to @pitchperfect158 for the expertly written review of our tune, Chapter 1, from the Tangents EP . Check it out here. ❤️https://t.co/TIDRHi9vyB

    — AuldWhiteLabel (@AuldWhiteLabel) February 1, 2025

    For those of you craving some real music journalism to cut through the tide of AI generated nonsense we seem to be drowning in check out this from Matt Jensen at @pitchperfect158 https://t.co/9Kf8GMgnvM

    — Garfield Mayor (@garfieldmayor) January 31, 2025
    Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook


    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

Company

About
Contributors

Newsletter

Newsletter

PR Services

PR Services
© Pitch Perfect 2025. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Pitch Perfect
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact