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 Halophile - Panic Bird
Stab City Records
Halophile's debut release on Stab City Records, Panic Bird, is the culmination of a year's hard work and inspired creativity between three former Seattleites who relocated to New York City last year.
The songs are mostly slow and pretty, often tinged with a sense of sadness and despair. Intros and quieter segments of songs disappear into feedback, loops and noise, creating a full, almost psychedelic sound.
The instrumental "String Theory" burns slow, but builds into an epic, Mogwai-esque climax. "Ancient Dogs in Transit," which is instantly catchy indie-pop, finds the band in rarely explored hard rock territory. A fuzzed-out bass line leads the way while vocalist/guitarist Charles McCammon screams, "You called us home\ Is this everything I have to give?" like he's desperate to be heard.
McCammon often uses uncommon chording, creating a somewhat dissonant sound.
Lyrically, he can be both cryptic and brutally straightforward. Little is left to the imagination when he sings, "I'm smitten for your kitten" on the relationship-gone-bad track, "Beautifully Insane." Other subject material is vaguer, with lyrics evoking images of mummified animals, desert landscapes and frozen tundras.
Modest Mouse, Pinback and Pavement are clearly influences for Halophile, but Panic Bird differentiates itself enough to represent a strong debut that hints at even better things to come. - (6/10)
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Ben Allen is a regular contributor to NadaMucho.com. He has bigger hair than you do.
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