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

radiolab - radiolab

6/12/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
Radiolab

Radiolab
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
Hailing from Frederick, MD, Radiolab is a duo comprised of Meghan Redding and Dane Di Perro who make music that takes elements from dream pop, electronica, and psychedelica that sound similar to one my favorite bands of all time Primal Scream (think vanishing point era not XTRMNTR or anything after that). Replace Bobby Gillespie’s voice with Meghan Redding’s and you should have a decent idea of what the band sounds like. Their self-titled album, which is the topic of conversation in this review, is the group’s latest effort after being together for about three years. 

Despite the project’s expiration this album is a nice way to end as it has a batch of good if not memorable tunes. The 10-track album occasionally stumbles with more presentation than substance but I still found myself attracted enough to the album to keep on listening. A lot of the songs’ strongest parts are the drums and bass. The funky, dance oriented organic bass lines work great with the progressive, fun drum beats. For instance, on the first song “Conspiracies” the song is held down by these two elements as samples of different political conspiracies are played. Not to take anything away from Redding’s vocals which were nice but underutilized within the song. The second song “Quiet” suffers from minor production issues while the band hits one of their highpoints with “The Objectivist.” The breakdown in “The Objectivist” is pretty sweet. It combines a precise bass line, frantic drumming and pretty guitar melody. Different samples were spread out throughout the song but to be honest probably I would have enjoyed the song just as much listening to the music with the samples omitted. ”Thoughts” is a well put together song that is one of the most catchy on the album because of the vocal melody. I really enjoyed “Spider Kiss” because it put them in unfamiliar territory  only relying Redding’s vocals (sounding a bit like a female version of Jim Morrison) and sparse instrumentation to get your attention. The song eventually picks up but they do it in a more experimental way that didn't feel contrived.

Things get a bit more chill with “All Things” which utilizes spoken vocals over an atmospheric yet percussive heavy background. One of Redding’s best vocal performances and one of the best songs was “I Keep Losing Heart” which could have been the single to this album. We close with “Existential” which seemed to encapsulate a lot of the genres they were covering on this album. After listening to the album my only real critique would be the flow. It felt a bit unbalanced at times and I had a hard time feeling the consistency the whole way through. Beside this minor inconvenience the songs are good enough to stand on their own and displaying a surplus of talent coming from both Redding and Di Perro. 
soundcloud
1 Comment
Dane link
6/12/2013 02:12:07 am

Thanks guys!

Reply

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 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.

    Tweets by pitchperfect158
    Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook


    Archives

    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
© Pitch Perfect 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Pitch Perfect
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact