Category: New Album Review

The newest albums, EPs and singles on the air at WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2

“Nicks and Grazes” by Palm Album Review

Post author By Michelangelo
Post date October 22, 2022

Cover art of "Nicks and Grazes" by Palm

Palm is a garage psych band from Philadelphia who just released their third full album, “Nicks and Grazes” Oct. 14 of this year.

Palm is made of drummer Hugo Stanley, bassist Gerasimos Livitsanos and vocalists and guitarists Eve Alpert and Kasra Kurt.

I am happy to say this was my first experience listening to this band, and I am glad to have discovered them when I did. “Nicks and Grazes” has so many great highlights, and could absolutely be the project that results in a major breakthrough for this band.

It is clear this band is pulling from many influences to mold their album into what is is. There are elements of rhythmic electronic, free spirited rock and sheer aggressive noise. This album is transparent in its exploratory nature. It does not belong to one genre, instead seamlessly dips into multiple.

To jump right into the individuals tracks, “Touch and Go’ and “Feathers” are bold intros to the album. This band does such an excellent job of integrating the pure sounds of guitars, drums and vocals with a jarring collage of electronica.

Most notably in “Feathers”, they channel the same energy as fellow garage psych band Spirit of the Beehive. I really love Eve Alpert’s voice in this track. Her voice is extremely clear and their lyrics are clean and concise:

“Make it up / Like a performer / I’m gonna make it up / Like I’m devout”

As the album progresses, her voice slowly begins to dissolve into the music and comes the rhythm itself. This is very prominent in “Eager Copy”. The mystic vocal and heavy keys almost dance throughout the track, both empowering and dissolving each other.

Perhaps my favorite moment of the album proceeds after the vocal and elerontic struggle within “Eager Copy”.

Following track, “Brille” is almost like waiting room music– as if it is waiting for something to load. This non-vocal track is airy and light, with sudden moments of harsh clangs and aystemmical rythym.

The track opens up to “On The Sly”, one of the most vocal dominate songs on the album. It taps into the roots of garage psych, really focusing on pure guitar, drums and distant lyrics. They really tone down the use of electronic elements in this song to bright light to their unity as a band. They achieve such a confident sound here.

A little further into the album they dive completely into noise and electronic genres. “Suffer Dragon” is almost beyond description. If you enjoy pure noise, this is the highlight for you. It is chaotic yet calm, dismantled yet unified. It brought a very uneasy feeling to the album. Although the beginning is a simply so much noice, it quickly mellows into a tune reminiscent of music by C418.

“Mirror Mirror” follows, and may be my favorite highlight of the album. This track does a great job of unifying many of the explorations within the entire project. I really enjoy the electronic quality achieved at the end of this track.

The final two tracks “Tumbleboy” and “Nicks and Grazes” deserve much praise. This entire album is very bold, these tracks do a great job of tying it all together and lifting the listener out of the composition. They are a fitting end to such a varied album.

This album was a treat a listen to. It is a great example of orderly chaos in music. The noise they are able to achieve here is destined for growth.

I’ll be keeping an ear out for anything new from Palm. If you are interested in seeing them live, they have a show in Durham, NC on Nov. 18. For tickets and information you can visit the venue website.

Tags Album Review

New Album Review

“Magic Hour” by Surf Curse Album Review

Post author By Hüttemeister
Post date October 19, 2022

Surf Curse, "Magic Hour" album art

From Reno to LA, surf punk band Surf Curse returns with their fourth album, “Magic Hour”. Started by childhood friends drummer/vocalist Nick Rattigan and guitarist/vocalist Jacob Rubeck, this band has created something truly magical in this record. Bassist Henry Dillon and Guitarist Noah Kholl help to flesh out the band’s sound perfectly.

Recorded at the infamous Electric Lady Studios, which has been the recording spot for the likes of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder, this album is a clear nod to the legends who have recorded there previously.

A review of their 2019 album, “Heaven Surrounds You”, can be found here. Before the singles for this record came out, I had only listened to a dabble of Surf Curse. Upon the release of the second single for this album, “TVI”, it was immediately all I could listen to for the next two months.

The Magic Trick

The sound of this album is silky smooth magic. The band almost called this album “Milky Magic” because they wanted to emulate and create a milky, white magic sound.

First off, I have to give major props to lead vocalist Nick Rattigan, who somehow manages to display an incredible vocal performance all while tearing it up on the drums, which is no easy feat.

Nick Rattigan also makes music under the persona Current Joys, which has a totally different sound and feel when compared to Surf Curse. The range of sounds and feelings Nick Rattigan can create throughout his music is commendable.

There are too many tracks on this album that have immediately stuck with me. If I had to name my three favorites from the record, they would probably be, “Self Portrait”, “Fear City” and “TVI”. All three tracks highlight the new steps Surf Curse has taken in their sound and what I enjoy about this album.

Surf Curse, “Self Portrait” music video

This album is Surf Curse at their most energetic. Rattigan’s visceral “YEAH”s throughout Self Portrait is heightened energy that can be found nowhere else in the Surf Curse discography. The discordant, blaring saxophone in “Fear City” makes it one of the most memorable tracks on the record.

However, the band does not forget the roots of their sound. There’s some classic Surf Curse in tracks like “Cathy”, “Lost Honor” and “Sugar” that will instantly get stuck in your head and give homage to their most popular tracks such as “Freaks” or “Disco”.

My only problem throughout the entirety of the 44-minute album is that I feel some tracks, especially the six-minute ones, could have been slightly shortened. Besides that, this is an excellent record. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys rock or punk music.

Conclusion

This record is probably my favorite of the year so far. I’m considering going to see them on tour the weekend before all of my finals. I wouldn’t do this for many other bands but hearing “Magic Hour” live would be incredible.

As Surf Curse’s discography continues to grow, they continue to vary and improve upon their already solid sound. I look forward to their future projects and how they will continue to build their discography.

Tags Album Review, surf curse, WKNC

New Album Review

“DEPART” by Origami Angel Review

Post author By Michelangelo
Post date October 18, 2022

Cover art of "DEPART" by Origami Angel

Origami Angel is a emo-rock duo out of Washington, DC. Lead Vocalist and guitarist, Ryland Heagy, and drummer, Pat Doherty, have released perhaps their must ambitious release to date.

“DEPART” unlike their past discography, is entirely heavy rock and screamo. This fast paced, three track release is nothing but exhilarating.

The three tracks, “JUDGE”, “FAWN” and “FOE” are compact. Each falling just under two minutes, this set is a ridiculously big step for Origami Angel in such an unaburdly short duration.

This release could give someone whiplash from how different it is from the rest of their discography. There have always been dabbles of rusticity and grunge throughout the duo’s predominately emo sound.

It is refreshing and exciting to hear a band delve into a new genre with so much confidence.

I think many bands and musicians fear taking steps into new genres; many stay within their most familiar box. There are so many avenues and platforms of criticism that artists face through social media, it makes sense why many choose to stay within one genre their whole career.

I commend Origami Angel for taking the leap.

Tags New Album Review, Origami Angel

New Album Review

“Slowing Down” by The Backseat Lovers

Post author By Michelangelo
Post date October 17, 2022

Cover art for upcoming album by The Backseat Lovers

The Backseat Lovers have grown into quite the success in the past few years. Their 2019 album, “When We Were Friends” skyrocketed their popularity with tracks “Kilby Girl”, “Pool House”, “Maple Syrup”, and “Watch Your Mouth”.

Especially at NC State, this indie rock band grew into a fan favorite after their performance at 2022 Wolfstock at the end of last semester.

This band has a lot on the horizon as they prepare to release another album, “Waiting to Spill” on Friday, Oct. 28 2022. In preparation they have been releasing a series of singles throughout the last few weeks.

The Backseat Lovers’ most recent single, “Slowing Down” caught my attention.

If you have listened to “When We Were Friends”, you know that the key to their musical success it their ability to hit emotional and musical cues with such unanticipated power.

Opening track, “Watch Your Month”, is a prime example of this. They build intensity and groove through this track with an almost stairstep approach. They wait for the right moments to add more to each track and chose to retreat at the perfect moments to compliment.

“Slowing Down” builds upon this technique with a refreshing approach. They are taking a more subdued and relaxed identity, letting the overlapping waves of instrumentals build the intensity rather than increasing the volume of the vocals.

This track shows a lot of the confidence they have acquired over the years. It no longer sound like they are trying to prove themselves– they know they have a successful sound and are now comfortably exploring it.

The Backseat Lovers have such a talent for crafting lyrics for the listeners. It’s very easy to connect to their songs. Especially in this track the lines felt deeply genuine, as if he is speaking to you:

“The sound of laughter
Echoes from a few doors down
The sound of pressure
Is getting louder
Whisper in my ear
That you need me”

I honestly was not expecting much from their album after listening to the other singles “Close Your Eyes” and “Growing/Dying”. However, the complexity and tones in track speaks promise for the upcoming album.

I have high hopes for “Waiting to Spill”. I hope The Backseat Lovers continue to explore this more subdued tone. I’ll be looking forward to all they will be releasing Oct.28

Tags the backseat lovers

New Album Review

“The Last Spa On Earth” by Divino Niño – Album Review

Post author By DMC Woodstock
Post date October 15, 2022

You’re trudging through a crumbling wastescape, your legs dragging you forward step by step. Every muscle in your body is sore beyond belief. You’re tired and hopeless. In the distance, below the biting wind, you hear the sound of moving water. You move towards the sound, parting some bushes and peer into a clearing. You’ve found it. Among the wreckage that litters the rest of the world, a world merely getting by, there is still a place dedicated to pleasure. The keys are yours. Have fun. That’s how “The Last Spa On Earth” feels.

Divino Niño’s previous work has stayed within the dream-pop-psych-rock realm (think Mild High Club), but with their latest release they’ve leaned much harder into the dreampop side of things, sprinkling a smattering of other influences into their music as well.

You don’t have to listen very far to hear the electronic influences presenting themselves. Fast drum break samples build up on “Tu Tonto.” Elements of bass are mixed into “Ecstasy,” sandwiched between an electro-house groove. “Miami” cheekily references the Will Smith track of the same name while backed by a club sound. “I Am Nobody” ends with a quick techno beat, while “Especial” has more of a house-y finish.

In terms of lyrical substance, it’s pretty hard for me to gauge. Most of the lyrics are in Spanish, and unfortunately, my rudimentary high school Spanish chops aren’t cutting it. From what I can gather, the lyrics are casual comments on love and lust, but I can’t say for sure.

Each song flows nicely into the next, never breaking the train of bliss from track to track, but the crowning achievement here is the variety in each track. When it comes to the variety in a song, there is a fine balancing act between novelty and coherence. Throw too many new ideas at the listener, and it becomes too easy to get lost. Don’t introduce enough ideas, and the song gets too stale.

Every track on “The Last Spa On Earth” manages to carry out this balancing act with grace. Let’s take the song “Ecstasy” for example, which starts out with a peppy four-on-the floor dance beat and ends with a slowed chorus of bittersweet guitars and spacey synths. The ending of “XO” enters full reggae territory after two and a half minutes of dream pop. These changes aren’t abrupt though. They bleed enough elements into each other to sound natural.

When you go to a spa, you aren’t just getting your back rubbed the whole time. That would be silly. At the spa, they’re gonna slather you with mud, put hot stones on you, guide you to the sauna, and perhaps perform a microdermabrasion or two. You’re getting relaxed and spoiled in a variety of different ways, and that’s exactly what you can expect going into this album.

Divino Niño has done the impressive; making an album that is extremely accessible without sacrificing depth. It’s a treat for the ears. All of my chips are on this album.

I give Divino Niño’s “The Last Spa On Earth” a strong ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆. Great album.

Tags divino niño

New Album Review

“DECIDE” by Djo Album Review

Post author By Michelangelo
Post date October 6, 2022

Djo has picked up a lot of popularity over the past three years after his 2019 release “Twenty Twenty”. There is no doubt he will continue this trend with his newest album, “DECIDE”, released Sep. 16 of this year.

I think there is common trend among artists such as Djo, who is otherwise known as actor Joe Keery. Multi-talented and multi-expressive artists are simply enchanting.

Being able to express themselves through acting, directing, writing, or visual art only strengthens their ability to sing, perform, and compose. In “DECIDE” Joe Keery’s theatrical nature is really prominent– featuring various forms of spoken word and unusual audio clips.

Track Highlights

Generally, this album is really solid. In any release there will always be stronger songs than others, but I was really pleased by the composition of the entire album. It’s entirely very expressive and cohesive, while maintaining diversity within the tracks.

It’s starts off song with tracks “Runner” and “Gloom”. “Gloom” is certainly one of my favorites off the album. Although it doesn’t particularly have any experimental hooks, the proliferation within the lyrics and vocals sets an anticipation and excitement for the entire album.

“Undress you with my eyes, I’m ready to go / I measure up to you, I’m ready to go / I smoked my cigarettes, I’m ready to go”

The tone set in the first two tracks leads the listener to expect pretty vanilla indie pop songs for the remainder of the album, but I was happy to see Djo diverge from that sound immediately in some of the elements in “Half Life”.

Djo is really exploring audio collage in tracks “Half Life”, “Change”, “Is That All It Takes”, and “Go For It”. It’s clear Djo is pulling from multiple sources of inspiration.

He is also seen tapping into a 90’s sound, similar to artists such as Jamiroquai, in track “I Want Your Video”.

While also exploring more electronica genres, perhaps pulling inspiration from Daft Punk in tracks such as “Climax”.

I really appreciate his ending tracks, they conclude “DECIDE” in a perfectly theatrical and ominous tone.

It’s refreshing to hear Djo continue to build strength in his musical composition and vocals. I was impressed by his range of musical textures and variety of inspiration. I’m excited to see what he will be releasing in the future, I’m sure this album will continue to push him towards major success.

Tags djo, Indie

New Album Review

DEEWEE Duo Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul’s “Topical Dancer”

Post author By DJ Southpaw
Post date October 3, 2022

One of the most popular perceptions of “pop music” is that of a shallow, clichéd genre with little artistic value. That doesn’t mean that artists aren’t trying to buck this perspective by using the upbeat, repetitive sounds and lyrics that define the genre to discuss social and cultural issues.

“Topical Dancer” is the satirical, irony-laced debut album released in March 2022 under DEEWEE and Because Music by Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul. This duo from Ghent, Belgium utilize an upbeat electropop sound that contrasts heavily with their socially-conscious lyrics about racism and sexism (among other issues).

Still, that dichotomy helps to bring humor into the album without sacrificing nuance in their lyrics or musical quality. “We see pop music as a vehicle to say something,” Bolis said in an interview with The Guardian’s Kadish Morris.

“Do you speak Esperanto?”

We’ll start with Charlotte’s address to the audience that opens the album: why do you think you’re so much better than everyone else? The first track after the intro, “Esperanto”, lets Charlotte vent her frustrations with many people who claim to be “woke”. In the track’s first half, Charlotte asks listeners to consider whether they simply pretend to empathize with the plights of marginalized communities.

“Are you as open-minded behind closed doors?
Would you join forces in this holy war?
Are you as offended when nobody’s watching?”
Lyrics from “Esperanto” by Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul

As backhanded insults toward the people she’s questioned throughout the first half of the song, Charlotte pivots into relaying many of the substitutions in language these people make when talking about people often subject to discrimination (Black people, Latinos, Asians and women, specifically).

“And then, it hit me”

This may just be my most played song off “Topical Dancer”, and it’s the one that drills into you most with its blunt messaging about love in western society. The song in question is “It Hit Me”, the fifth track on the album and the first vocal appearance of Bolis Pupul.

From the first 20 seconds of the song, the duo greets listeners with haunting, eerie synths that unnerved me at first but set up an uncomfortable tone that beautifully supplements the three stories in the track. And then, we hear a whistle as Charlotte starts her first story. At just 13 years old, a couple of men catcalled her on her way to field hockey practice, which she explains in full detail to listeners. Eventually, she realizes just how she’s been sexualized not just by these men but by a society that encourages shallow sexual appeal.

Bolis then delves into his own experiences of dealing with insecurities about his appearance, which he struggles to see how any woman could find attractive. He realizes at the end of his story how toxic it is for him to worry so much about every aspect of how he looks, but again society promotes this obsession with physical appearance.

Finally, Charlotte recalls a date with a boy named Stefaan where she follows flirting advice from a teen magazine. The date goes south, Stefaan leaves her, and it hits her how weird the flirting advice in a teen magazine is. Why is love something marketed to people as inherently sexual, looks-based, and (especially) targeted towards minors?

“This is not a cliché”

“Ceci n’est pas un cliché” is the most popular song off “Topical Dancer”, and it serves as a good summary of the goal for the album as a whole. Charlotte spends the entirety of this song rattling off clichés in pop songwriting: she’s “down on my knees begging you please” and spelling out words like love, which was especially popular in the mid-to-late-2000s.

However, the real punch of this track lies in the chorus: “I wanna make you feel real nice / I bet this song sounds real familiar.” While Charlotte’s trying to live out the ideal love life as described by pop songs throughout the last 50 years, her partner is “cold as ice” and uncaring.

This is exactly the type of situation Charlotte and Bolis hope to change with their own pop music; they’re trying to dispel many of the clichés so ingrained into pop and instead turn the genre into something filled with a nuanced discussion of social issues.

Music video for “Ceci n’est pas un cliché” from YouTube posted by Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul. Directed by Bob Jeusette and produced by Jarri Van der Haegen.

Now Go Dance

One of the great things about “Topical Dancer” is that, while it might be unconventional compared to other pop and dance music, it is still incredibly accessible to anyone with a passing interest in music. Two of the songs are in languages other than English, and one–“HAHA”–is composed mostly of the distorted laughs of Charlotte. However, the lyrics in every other song are straightforward and impactful.

Even if you don’t care for the lyrical content of “Topical Dancer”, Charlotte and Bolis succeeded in creating a dance-able album that can be enjoyed by just about anyone.

Overall, I would give the album a 9/10, since there are a couple of tracks that don’t add much to the album, but they aren’t bad by any means.

– Cashew Muncher

Tags Bolis Pupul, Charlotte Adigéry, Topical Dancer, WKNC 88.1

New Album Review

“SPARK” by Whitney Album Review

Post author By Hüttemeister
Post date September 24, 2022

Whitney, "SPARK" album cover

One of the best things about listening to an artist is seeing how their sound develops over time. Hearing an artist’s sound evolve from album to album is truly a special thing. Sometimes, however, an evolution can sound more like a fall back than a step forward.

Chicago duo Whitney is famous for their wistful falsetto vocals and warm instrumentals. They make indie that incorporates folk and country, topped off with soul.

I was excited to see that they started releasing singles in June for an upcoming project. “REAL LOVE” was the first in a string of five singles that would release before the record.

Sadly, most of the songs released before the album left me desiring something more. Something I was hoping I would be able to hear at the album’s release.

“SPARK”

The first thing I noticed about each song on “SPARK” was the incredible production. The synths, strings and horns, which Whitney has utilized before, are on full display for these songs. At its peak, the production of each song truly melts in your ears.

However, I cannot help but feel like these peaks are few and far between on Whitney’s new record. It seems the sacrifice for the clear, crisp production of this album was a lack of variety and songs that die out before the halfway point.

A big problem I have noticed with many of the songs on this record is they are very front-heavy. Songs like “SELF” or even “REAL LOVE” (which I still admittedly like a lot) start with a strong premise but instead of building on that premise, they plateau.

Music video for “REAL LOVE” by Whitney

This isn’t to say the new Whitney album is all bad. “BLUE” is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs by the band. On the slower, more melancholic songs, like “COUNTY LINES” the high-quality production is at the forefront and sounds great.

There’s something about this album that makes me want to like it more than I do. Maybe it’s just the fact that I’m such a fan of their first few albums. It could also be that when this album is at its peak, it sounds excellent. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t hit that peak enough.

Conclusion

In “SPARK”, instead of evolving into a new and original sound, Whitney falls into a sound that highlights many of the band’s shortcomings. While there are highlights, if Whitney continues to make music in this vein, I hope they increase the variety within and songwriting of their tracks.

I fully believe Whitney is capable of doing this. I think that if they can get a better grasp on this new sound, they could release their best album yet.

Tags Album Review, whitney, WKNC

New Album Review

“Icarus” by Cryalot EP Review

Post author By Hüttemeister
Post date September 5, 2022

Cryalot, "Icarus" album art

Kero Kero Bonito‘s Sarah Midori Perry released her first solo project, “Icarus”. According to an interview with DIY, Perry created her solo project, titled Cryalot in 2018 as an outlet to express herself in a space separate from KKB.

Cryalot was used for DJ sets until this year when Perry, along with producer Jennifer Walton, began releasing singles for the EP in June.

Flying Into the Sun

This EP leans heavily into an electronic pop sound that is reminiscent of KKB’s 2018 album, “Time ‘n’ Place”. This EP does stretches the boundaries of electronic pop, stepping into areas like spoken word and metal.

Five tracks in length, this EP is solely focused on the Greek myth of Icarus. Usually viewed as a cautionary tale, to Perry, Icarus is about the “beauty of human beings pushing themselves to become something more.”

Perry’s sweet voice mixed with the brutal beats from Walton make this EP truly memorable. Both Perry and Walton are firing on all cylinders to create a sound that complements both of their talents extremely well.

Falling Into the Tracks

Starting off the EP, “Touch the Sun” is a great introduction. The song uses perspective to tell the flight of Icarus from his perspective with a bassy, rythmic beat behind it. I felt this was a great starting track because each song following it seems to build on the sound used in this song.

“Let me touch the sun, wanna have it all / I don’t care if I fall, I accepted it all”
Cryalot, “Touch the Sun” post-chorus lyric

The following track “Hurt Me” is about the fall of Icarus, still in the perspective of Icarus. This song has the same appeal as the first song to me but I still enjoyed it. While listening to this track, I couldn’t help but picture Pieter Bruegel’s “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus“.

“Hell Is Here”, the third track, is the heaviest on the EP. This was probably the song I will continue to go back to in the future. Perry experiments with metal-inspired vocals in the chorus which really worked for me.

Following “Hell Is Here”, “Labyrinth” is much calmer. Starting with a calm piano and stepping away from the heavy bass-beats, it puts Perry’s voice in the spotlight. The chorus to this song is super catchy, and utilizes glitchy sounds very well.

Finishing the EP, “See You Again”, is more of a spoken-word song than anything. The production carries this song, but in my opinion it ran on a bit too long for me to want to come back to it.

Conclusion

“Icarus” was a really enjoyable listen. Tracks like “Hell Is Here” and “Labyrinth” will definitely be on repeat in the coming weeks. This EP very effectively tells the story of Icarus from a different perspective, one that I had never considered.

My only problem with this EP is I think some of the songs run a bit too long for my liking. “Hell Is Here” perfectly utilizes it’s length and does not have any fluff which makes it very easy to come back to.

I look forward to future work from Cryalot. This short EP is a very promising start to this project and I can’t wait to see what Perry does next with the project.

Tags Cryalot, EP Review, WKNC

New Album Review

“Flood Format” by Bird’s Eye Batang – Album Review

Post author By DMC Woodstock
Post date September 4, 2022

If you’ve never heard of Bird’s Eye Batang, then you may be familiar with the South Korean artist’s other moniker, Mid-Air Thief, who’s 2018 album “Crumbling” has been getting more and more attention as of late. If you aren’t familiar with either of them, then get ready for a folktronica sound you’ve never heard before.

“Flood Format,” which released earlier this year, is far less folk- and far more -tronica, but still sits within the outskirts of the genre. It doesn’t reach the deeply organic and transcendent breadths of “Crumbling,” but it succeeds in exploring darker, more alien territory, with a signature maximalist sound.

The first track, “Slippery Smile”, has these jubilant, joyous and bouncy chimes that remind me of the vibrant buildups you’d hear in a Stevie Wonder song. It then slips into something more fluid and abstract as it transitions to the second track, where the melodies are still bright, but harsher. It leads into sections of experimental noise before circling back around to the lead melody.

The third track, “Spin and Stone”, feels mysterious and curious, and as it starts to pick up it, feels like you’re being swept into an entirely different world. The picture below is the closest image I can find that looks like how this song feels.

Imagine you’re a tiny little woodland elf going out here to gather pebbles. That’s what the song feels like. Photo courtesy of Toburke, under Creative Commons.

“Ripplippling” is a sort of chillwave track with its wide, filtering synths and echoing bells, but with far more texture and character than most chillwave I’ve come across. On its own, “Ripplippling” is the most digestible track on this album.

Unfortunately it’s cut a bit short by an interlude, which showcases some brilliant sound design and noises that are most likely from a bird. This is the worst track on the album for me but it’s less than a minute long.

The album then transitions to its darkest portion. “Brux Batang” features discordant sounds layered over a techno beat before suddenly enveloping the listener in a suffocating symphony of dying machines, noise being stretched and warped around you, a complete storm, pulled and worn like taffy, ending in a crumpled heap.

“The Wider The Wheel” feels like a rush, a need to escape, hurrying past all these sights and sounds, not able to fully process any of them, letting them penetrate your conscious before promptly leaving. You escape. You are faced with an enormous empty void.

And the final song, with a light samba swing, is a much needed breath of comfortable relief.

“Flood Format” is a journey. Bird Eye Batang continues the legacy of one of the most intricate musicians working today, and hopefully now people will shut up and stop comparing him to Grizzly Bear.

I give Bird Eye Batang’s “Flood Format” ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆. Great Album.

– Spencer Grattan

Tags Afterhours, Album Review, Bird's Eye Batang, Folktronica