OPM: Art Pop Is Alive

Daniel Vincent – Intruder

New-school progressive pop/rock with a penchant for the cinematic and moody. Drawing from the Radiohead/TV on the Radio school of art/prog rock more than the Old Masters (tho there is definitely a bit of Peter Gabriel rattling around in there), these songs cover a lot of musical ground, with the connective tissue being the big-screen aesthetic. 

Lots of sweeping string pads, big bass and polished vocals dominate the arrangements, which are otherwise pretty diverse. Those vocals cover a decent stylistic range as well, but it’s recognizably the same voice, which goes a distance to tying the material together. The full package is a tight, sophisticated take on contemporary art pop with some interesting ideas.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Cavern Cult – Approach

Post rock built on a foundation of dub, electro and trip hop. Some very nice guitar tones, frequently drenched in delay and played in spacey, looping patterns, ride a variety of breakbeats. The aesthetic is dark and largely subdued throughout, the arrangements minimal. 

The tracks are surprisingly short (only one tops 3 minutes), especially for post rock, a genre not known for brevity. Despite that, it feels like each track offers a lot to take in. That makes for a quick listen you’re eager to put right back on for another go – hard to go wrong with that.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Animpostor – Animpostor

A spirited and charming collection of 8-bit chiptune covers of a bunch of songs from Denver’s late ‘00s/early ‘10s music scene. The work of Michael King, a local musician who played in most, if not all, of the covered bands at one point, the album is simultaneously a celebration of Denver’s storied music scene AND the raw timbres, primitive beats and buzzy bonhomie of chiptune.

That said, you certainly don’t have to be familiar with any of these bands to enjoy the bleep. To the contrary, it’s more likely you’ll appreciate these for all their Nintendoriffic charm and maybe find a few tunes you might want to check out in non chiptune form as a bonus. (Oh, I think the title track is actually an original, not a cover.)

(Listened to the entire album)

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Where Ghosts Call You Family – “Hanahaki”

A raw, distorted post hardcore song with unusual gang/choir vocals. The guitars are so distorted this actually slips into shoegaze territory, perhaps unintentionally. There’s also a surprisingly poppy vibe to the whole thing and some nice synth work that pulls it all together. 

It’s quite a distinctive and unusual track. If you dig it, good news – it’s the first track of a planned upcoming EP, so there’s more on the way.

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Morgana Creely – Black River

A collection of lowkey acoustic instrumental tunes in a sort of lite neo classical/chamber music style. It’s largely acoustic (an all-acoustic instrument list is proffered but I’m pretty certain I heard an Omnichord in one tune, and there’s definitely a whole lot of phaser driving another) and gentle. 

It wouldn’t sound out of place at a fine dining restaurant, an elegant wedding or an art gallery. Introspective, pretty, well composed and well played, it’s a pleasant stylistic rarity for those who will embrace what it offers.

(Listened to the entire album)

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