I liked the name Constant Comas (aka Patrick Savage) but before I listened to the music I worried if I was going to be greeted with dismal, dark music. If you take that name literally you could see how my mind could go there. The reason I bring this up is that this music is anything but dismal. On Constant Comas’ release C, It’s upbeat synth pop for the most part which has had a particularly big resurgence I’d say for at least ten years if not longer.
It was in 2008 we had releases like In Ghost Colours by Cut Copy and Saturdays = Youth by M83. Further in 2012 Kill For Love by The Chromastics would strengthen synth pop an its cultural influence and by this point hipster bars started to play the pioneers of the genre like Culture Club and New Order. The four songs on C explore different shades of emotion starting with “Virtues.” This song is pretty straight forward and aligns with contemporary acts like Passion Pit as well as some of the aforementioned acts. On that note there is really nothing not to like here. The hooks, aesthetics and delivery is there making for a fun dance party. “Shadows” is a percussive heavy song. The synths lurk in the background with the tom heavy drums really being the anchor. Most impressive aspect is the dynamics. There are moments which sound no louder than a whisper and others that are quite epic. It sounds seamless and I would probably attribute some of this to the mastering engineer Jeff Lipton who I have worked with in the past and know what he is capable of. “Get It” blurs synth pop into LCD Soundsystem influenced dance punk. These two genres bleed into each other for obvious reasons as this song clearly demonstrates. My personal favorite track was the closer “Diaphanous.” Somewhat ironically it's not as connected to the aforementioned genres or artists. The mood is a lot more solemn and reflective on “Diaphanous.” It starts with an introspective soundscape. The gold however is when the piano emerges with the vocals. His vocals sound a little more natural coated in melancholy and unlike the other songs there was more space for them to breathe. The thought provoking lyrics combined with the Radiohead type atmosphere created an emotional landing I was not expecting this EP to end on. I liked this whole EP but it seems like the artist might have some things to think about. He threw a wrench into the equation with that last song. You could make a case that a proper follow-up could be entirely based on that mood which I would be interested to hear. Food for thought. I’d say this a significantly impressive debut and I am excited to hear more. Recommended.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Critique/insightWe are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.
Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook
Archives
May 2024
|