By John Bedard
If this is not a genre you are used to you need to open your mind a bit for this. This is not something you hear every day, and it is not something that everyone can pull off either. If you were to ask me what genre this even is, I’m not sure I could tell you. There are elements of ambient, but it has more structure than I usually expect for ambient. Maybe psychedelic but that is still not right. I’m just going to say it would fit into those families. One of you reading is making fun of me for not knowing, I’m sure, and that is probably deserved but this is pretty unique from my usual theater and I love it.
If you have read my reviews before you know that I talk about how the music should tell a story as well as the lyrics. You should be able to get a feel for the emotions even if the lyrics were not there. This is a perfect example of what I’m talking about when I say that. There are no vocals yet there is still a story to be told through emotion. It is clearly put together and follows through wonderfully. In the press info I was sent it is described as War of the Worlds without the narration and I don’t think I could have described it better. They also state that the album is intended to be listened to in one long sitting to fully get the story and I think this is a must. At first, I tried listening in the car but I just found myself not paying enough attention and getting lost. Kinda like putting on a movie you have never seen before while cleaning the kitchen from the other room you just end up lost. However, when you give it your time and listen you will find something wonderful.
It is hard to try to discuss the music because it is something you really need to experience. The album is broken into three tracks, but they are still connected, the first and the third using synths to guide the experience and the second using percussion. The rest of the experience is crafted around that central base within each track though there are further transitions making the whole experience evolve with little to no repetition. These through lines act as how a lead singer normally would in other genres and it is done expertly.
While I will say that this probably is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, especially in a world where things are normally delivered in short easy to digest segments, sitting down and taking the time to really appreciate something like this not really in our culture anymore. For the people who still enjoy slowing down and being told a story and having a guided almost meditative experience, this is one you must pick up. I wholeheartedly recommend Phon. It is an experience worth having.
- ‘Phon’ is released on Friday (18 December). You can get your copy HERE.
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