The Darph is the solo project of a musician/artist from Chicago who taps into multiple genres on his latest release Voids. After a decade of making music with a rotating lineup of other musicians he began writing and recording music inspired by ‘90s grunge, mixed with dark ambient sounds and some experimental noise mixed in for good measure. The first Darph record was written and recorded in the winter of 2018-2019 and was an electro-acoustic affair followed by a more traditional alt-rock EP later that spring. Since then, The Darph’s sound has evolved resulting in a much heavier, alt-rock inspired sound on the first half of Voids. On the second half there is a drone metal vibe which eventually devolves into a mind melting experimental theme at the very end of the record.
The Darph states the album itself is about trying to escape how you feel by turning to something that can send you to a place that was worse than the one you were trying to escape from. It’s supposed to evoke the feelings of sadness and anger which then give way to apathy, then things take a turn toward the sinister and eventually to madness itself. Dang, you might want to stay in for the night and call a friend with this one. The opener “Boketto” hums low and deafening with a droning sound and trippy guitar action that’s hypnotizing. No words here. “The Easily Overlooked Effects of Chemicals on Mood” begins with a very familiar arcade game sound of, as I recall, “Centipede?” And then it breaks into a heavy alt-rock, guitar infused style with dark undertones. All instrumental, 2 – lyrics, 0. “Bottle It” is one of two longer songs on the album and if offers a somber style at first. But it also mixes in an alternative/indie rock style that reminded me of jangle pop rock of the many R.E.M. instrumentals back in the day, but with more distortion. “Conscience du Vide” features acoustic rhythms and a more laid back, chill approach. A pretty simple structure in regard to guitar chord playing, but I liked this one for its spacious, mysterious feel. “Dread Emperor” sounds exactly like the first word reads – a great fearful sound, but then The Darph switches into another jangly guitar, post-rock sound only to switch back to the song’s initial sinister nature. Think a little Black Sabbath but with a modern twist, and then throw in some cutting-edge indie stuff. Pretty cool mix, I’d say. “Chemical Lobotomy” – an operation I’m thankful I never had to go through, but just as twisted as that outdated M.O. is, The Darph plays his guitar in a twisted way that reflects what a patient might have gone through, as they lie in a recovery room with half their brain left. I think the fact that he only laid down a single guitar track for this one also speaks to the tragedy and loneliness of this once standard medical procedure. “L’Appel du Vide” is probably the most chilling and spine-tingling song on the entire album. Throw in some low minor guitar chords, some random metal or tin clanging and what sounds like deep Buddhist chanting by renegade Tibetan monks (aka synch or keys) and you’ve got yourself something from the edges of a dark, maddening world. Be sure to this to this one. “Welcome to the World” features The Darph on acoustic again and it takes on a much brighter and optimistic tone. He layers an electric on top that plays some lead parts and a bass, making this number sound something like the post-hippie stuff of the early ‘70s. “Dans le Vide” is the second longest song and this one really explores some experimental, synth pop frontiers. It’s also the only song with some words being “sung” or rather spoken, via electronic devices – a “Speak and Spell” (I think) and something that reminded me of “HAL” from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. This one is a total trip. The last tune is “La Fin du Vide” and it carries on Darph’s own brand of doom ambient and experimental. If you want something that will expand your mind or if you’re just not into songs with words these days, Voids is the perfect album to well, fill that void.
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