July 8, 2014

REVIEW: THE DELPHINES – HUSH (2014)

Most people, or at least most drummers, are struck by the Delphines’ refashioning of the Victor DeLorenzo type minimalist drum kit. While some other bands (namely Animal Collective) have used a similar set-up, the style does seem to have a genuine Milwaukee suggestion. The band’s new release, Hush, was written as many of the band’s members were wrapping up graduate school undertakings.

“Screen Door” starts of with a verse of tribal drumbeats as well as a complex and reverberated guitar line. This changes to a chorus of haunting shredding. Eventually the song breaks down to the vocals, “Still as my heart/but my heart still can’t take” and ends in an exclamation. “Eat you Alive” at first sounds like it might be a rendition of “My Sharona” but adds a lofty melody to lead the listener astray. Then comes “Careless” which begins with a dysmorphic recording that handovers to strong rhythmic propulsion. Things get interesting as an angular lead guitar theme is interwoven. The song jumps ahead to a choppy lead with the lines “I couldn’t care less” interrupting it. It ends with a return to the main theme. “Little Viking” plays in a coruscating way with its gleaming principal guitar sequence.

All in all, the instrumentation on “Hush” is absorbing. That being said, the vocals are a bit difficult to decipher although this could be intentional. It is an above par effort from a promising Milwaukee group.

Rating: 5.9/10