killigrew - spring ep

Killigrew

Spring EP
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Spring, the latest release from Christoffer Hylander aka Killigrew, is part of a four-part series of EPs that are released in conjunction with that season. I was intrigued by the concept but I don’t know how much influence the seasons actually had on the songs. The songs here are electronic composition that are vibrant and that pull from hard-hitting drum beats, buzzsaw synths, whimsical airy synths, and vocal samples. There's enough here for a veteran advocate of electronic composition to give a damn. The songs have a good structure, are easy to enjoy, and have a lightness about them and while not always innovative have enough to leave the listener satisfied. 

A majority of the songs on the Spring  infrastructure are built on the piano and then the blueprint is utilized in his computer to assemble the sounds. You don’t hear piano on every song and wouldn’t think of these as piano pieces but it starts to make sense as you listen to the layering of notes and melodies.“Set Me Free” is a strong opener that contains powerful piano chords laced with a bit of reverb and delay; a well thought out drum beat leaves enough space for the voltage like synths. It’s a powerful yet has a chilled out dubstep type vibe. “Sweet Solitude” has a progressive techno type feel that utilizes a lot of the same elements as the first song. The voltage type synths are present however this time instead of piano we hear a spacey guitar taking over the center stage. The song was pleasant, uplifting, if not bursting with an emotional backbone. 

“Where is the Love” is the first song that utilizes vocals in a more standard fashion. We hear soulful female vocals sparsely placed in the song to bring in a touch of the human element. The last song “Khaleesl” is on the verge of r&b as we hear traces of those soulful vocals we heard on “Where is the Love.” The beat itself is more derivative of something you might hear from Frank Ocean. This EP while not awe-inspiring had enough quality craftsmanship, attention to detail, and inspiration to have me anticipating Summer.