Tag: music
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Meet Bea Porges: Athens’ Jazzy Indie-Pop It-Girl
Indie-pop music has been an Athens staple among its many local bands, but one artist in particular has created her own twist on the genre. Bea Porges has been slowly building a reputation around the city since her transfer from Belmont to the University of Georgia.
As women who dedicate themselves to a good tequila drink, we walked into a nearly empty Normal Bar and each ordered Chupacabra while chatting it up.
Porges exudes an effortless cool girl energy with resilience and passion. Not only is she a Capricorn with an affinity for crying to sad songs in her car, but she also has had quite the journey writing and playing her own songs.
“I’ve always just been really connected to music even when I was little,” said Porges. “Sad songs would play in the car on the radio and I would start crying.”
Her path in music can be traced all the way back to age seven or eight when she went to a friend’s house. This friend pulled out a guitar and proceeded to teach her four chords. It was these four chords that jump-started her career. As soon as she went home, she asked her mom if she could play that old guitar that had been collecting dust in the basement.
From that moment on, Porges dedicated herself to music, teaching herself everything she currently knows from YouTube videos and raw experimentation.
“I’ve been songwriting for over a decade now,” said Porges. “Little angsty love songs about my little sixth-grade boyfriend.”
After playing guitar, she tried her hand at drums when she joined the band in elementary school. This evolved into a love of musical theater in high school, a perfect mixture of all of her creative talents.
Porges decided to attend Belmont in Nashville, where she hoped to really make something out of her accumulated abilities. Here, she realized the Nashville scene was over-saturated with cliquey musicians who all pursued the same sound. This realization was paired with an end to a nasty relationship. The result took much of the joy out of writing and creating music.
Much like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill 2, Porges fled to the mysterious land of Montana during the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic to reflect and write. Getting back to her roots, she wrote her now first song on the EP, “Bliss”.
“I can’t remember anything I was particularly thinking at the time and then a few months down the line I looked back at my life and was like ‘Oh this really fits this situation in my life,’” said Porges.
The song explores the nature of her breakup and centering herself after what all creatives experience: an existential crisis. This was the beginning of her debut EP, Space & Time. One day, right as the vaccines for COVID-19 were being rolled out in May of 2021, an Atlanta-based band, Calico, asked Porges to open for them in her first public debut at one of their Atlanta shows. This was her push to really delve into her music career and find her sound.
Porges transferred to UGA where she began performing live shows. Before she knew it, Porges was in the studio recording her original songs with Calico at Racket Records. Her song, “All Day Long” came out as a single in March 2023 and the full EP came out later this year.
“It’s like songs kind of come to me wherever, whenever and however,” said Porges. “I never write a song the same way twice.”
What makes her songs so personable is the life experiences she has been through. Every experience is a lesson, whether it be negative or positive and that is what gives her music its soul. The resulting soft indie-pop and jazz-fueled sound have been inspired by Faye Webster, Madison Cunningham, and Phoebe Bridgers.
“I write songs that maybe aren’t as jazzy that lean more indie pop but I think my voice lends itself to being a more low-fi, jazzy feel,” said Porges. “Even if I’m not making this jazzy indie music, I don’t think that that quality will ever escape my music; I think it will always stick with me.”
Since she has cemented herself into the Athens music scene, Porges has surrounded herself with some of the few women who also have made names for themselves such as Hotel Fiction and Sam Smith of Recess Party. In a city filled with mostly male musicians, the talent of these women in music cannot be overstated or overlooked. Porges emphasized how important it has been for women to support each other in this realm, far from the cliques of Belmont.
As far as her up-and-coming career, Athens can only expect her unique, witty, and dare I say, charming sound to spread in the coming years and even months. One thing is for sure, there is no end in sight for Bea Porges.
“I haven’t gotten everything I could get out of [Athens],” said Porges. “There’s still more here for me I think.”
The Asymptomatics Celebrate New Single ‘Two Possibilities’ With A Live Performance at Flicker Theatre and Bar
Athens has been home to critically acclaimed bands throughout the decades, marking the Classic City as not only home to the University of Georgia and its students but also a booming hub for artists and musicians alike. One such band is the funky, weird but strangely groovy The Asymptomatics.
The Asymptomatics, or “the Asymps” as they are often called, is a band of nine members who have made “chaotic” the name of the game. Since its formation in 2019, the band has garnered a name for itself within the music community of Athens. After the release of three singles, they have now added one more to their list of original music. To celebrate the release of their brand new single, “Two Possibilities”, the Asymptomatics recruited a list of prominent local Athens bands to play at Flicker Theatre and Bar for a night of unforgiving energy and sound.
Walking into Flicker is always a surreal experience, particularly on the evening of a gig. From the outside, bypassers can hear the beat of the featured band while they smoke a cigarette and drink a beer. Walking through the red curtains that lead to the venue portion of the establishment, stationed in the room next to the bar, I could see a sea of people bobbing their heads to the band, Neat Freak, which was followed by Late Notice and finally, Bog Bod. The celebrated feature of the night, The Asymps, performed last. Between bands, members handed out flyers with the single’s cover art designed by Hollis Midriff and they discussed their excitement to play their cleanest-sounding single live for the first time.
The band’s set began as most of its sets do, with the lead singer Max Mahieu relentlessly jumping around the stage with the band, maintaining an aura of chaos that has defined the group’s career, particularly in the past year.
The single itself possesses an eccentric guitar-solo build-up in the outro. Though their MO is full-fledged passion, this song was a pleasant departure as it boasted a more meaningful and slower vibe. “Two Possibilities” explores that little gray area in life by rejecting the idea of black-and-white decisions and outcomes. A simple song to describe how intensely unsimple this life can be, especially when young, as the band members are.
“A lot of times it seems like there’s two possibilities but, you know, in reality, things are a lot deeper than that,” says Mahieu. “It’s not just decisions you make, it’s the decisions of the people around you and the ones you love that affect your life and affect their life.” Mahieu’s family is the inspiration behind the song, which was written by Mahieu and his mom, who is a musician herself.
It’s both happy and sad which is reflected by the musicians as they played with electricity and passion, making the audience feel the underlying irony of “Two Possibilities”. Mastered by Jason NeSmith at Chase Park Transduction, “Two Possibilities” incorporates a classic guitar solo from the lead guitar that amplifies the emotional aspect of the song.
“We wanted to have this big rock section at the end that instrumentally captures the emotion and the vibes of the song that the lyrics start at the beginning,” said Mahieu.
From there, the band immediately transitioned to play their classic, most-noteworthy hit “GTFO! (Gerald the Friendly Orangutan)” which was a lighthearted and silly conclusion to a great show.
Though the chaotic transformation of the Asymptomatics onstage is something that some would deem messy and unorganized, those with an ear for passion would comprehend that this gives the band its personality, hence its rising claim to fame within Athens. A funk outfit of shameless chaos and a force to behold.
“Two Possibilities” is out now on all platforms, with the Asymptomatic’s first full album slated for spring.
Courting: ‘Grand National’
If there’s anyone who hasn’t lost complete touch over the ever-fleeting artistry of social commentary rock, it would undoubtedly have to be the Brits. Championing the genre as what might be a post-post-punk reaction to the spawn of angsty British lyricism, Courting have recently released a 4-track debut EP that delivers a wonderfully refined twist to contemporary British rock in a way we haven’t seen for quite a while. In recent years, fast-paced, talk-singing punk bands like IDLES, Shame, Black Midi, and Black Country, New Road, have come to dominate the British indie and underground rock scene, paving the way for a new-age niche punk genre, lyrically packed with political criticisms and socially charged objections to the systems we’ve found ourselves uncomfortably embedded into. Courting’s mission with their music more than adequately follows suit from this distinct style, however within an arguably more derisive– cheeky, even–lyrical framework.
Rhythmically sound and anticipatory in its build of angst, Grand National covers an impressive scope of socially perceptive topics. At the forefront of the band’s social revelations, however, is blunt in the name: the Grand National is a prominent horse racing event that takes place annually in Liverpool, England (their city of origin). This obvious expression of contempt for events like the British Grand National perfectly matches the overriding theme of the EP’s lyrical sentiment. Singer Sean Murphy O’Neill’s abrasive chants resonate with me as a collective frustration that many young revolutionaries–as well as casual social observers–increasingly share: something about feeling ridiculously unattuned to some of the similarly abuse-ridden practices as horse-racing. Themes that appear throughout Grand National’s musical dialogue are society’s persistent devotion to practices of capitalism, mundane yet obnoxious displays of wealth, along with the generally exploitative nature of pop culture, music, and art. Sarcasm, humour, and wit encompass the EP’s thematic makeup, accompanied by deliveries of very valid criticisms and catchy, gritty guitar riffs. The EP begins with an outright objection of British national norms and values, found abundantly in Grand National, weeds through scattered ideas surrounding casual elitism present in various British social arenas, and resolves on justified jabs at the confusing yet enduring influences of Kanye West and Ed Sheeran. In fact, that’s kind of all that “PopShop!” is about. The song delves into the dire state of popular music and musicians: an unceasing cycle of often problematic pop icons dominating charts, and producing the same disposable yet generically profitable sounds. Furthermore, “Popshop!” chants on about other long-standing issues of the music industry, such as the age-old theme of selling out to corporate ownership and labels’ soul-sucking tactics of artist exploitation.
Between their contemplations over lawn culture being kind of odd and unnecessary, and their more critical takes on social media’s tight grip over our priorities and perception of reality–Courting have devised an astonishingly catchy, and tastefully punk, first EP. With only a few songs out before Grand National, it serves as an exciting introduction to the musical potential of Courting, a group of four nonconformist Brits clearly committed to their authenticity, and more importantly, to never selling out.
Check out the EP on all major streaming platforms and Bandcamp, link below.
Camp Cope: ‘How to Socialise and Make Friends’
Let me get one thing out of the way: Camp Cope are not fucking around. The moment singer/guitarist Georgia “Maq” McDonald lets loose the first lyrics of the How to Socialise and Make Friends, all bets are off that this is going to be an easy listen. Don’t get me wrong, the instrumentation on the album bears more than a passing resemblance to the relatively placid Galaxie 500, but Maq has a lot of shit to say and damnit, we owe it to ourselves to listen.
Dismantling the patriarchy is a full time job and Camp Cope need overtime pay for the amount of emotional labor put into this album. Laying her (and many other women’s, for that matter) frustrations bare about the overabundance of machismo in the music industry in the aptly titled song, “The Opener”, Maq lets out full-throated screams about the misogyny that is all too common in the music industry:
It’s another man telling us we can’t fill up the room
It’s another man telling us to book a smaller venue
‘Nah, hey, cmon girls we’re only thinking about you’
Well, see how far we’ve come not listening to you“Yeah, just get a female opener, that’ll fill the quota.”
And that’s just in the first song.
On an aesthetic level “The Opener” is a perfect crystallization of Camp Cope’s sound on How to Socialize. In a very punk move, the arrangement never strays from the bare bones guitar-bass-drums set-up because it never needs to. Maq’s voice and lyrics are the stars of the show here and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Her voice never falters even at the albums most tender moments, like the devastating, haunting acoustic closer “I’ve Got You”. The autobiographical tale of a relative’s or friend’s slow descent into death and her attempts to figure out hers and their place amid the cruel realities of the world is only made even more heartbreaking by her acknowledgement how much they’re a part of each other.
The sheer breadth and depth of the emotion conveyed on this record is astounding, reaching an intensity that I haven’t really felt since Blonde dropped. Yes, this might be devolving into gushing but if the rush of emotion I felt after I listened to this for the first time is any indication I’ll be listening to this album A LOT. I hope you will as well.
9.5/10
Sorority Noise: “Tiny Rick (Let Me Out)”
All musicians love doing covers of other songs, but these guys have taken the cake. Sorority Noise, a four-piece emo band from Hartford, Connecticut, recently released a single on their Bandcamp website that is none other than “Tiny Rick (Let Me Out)”. For fans of the wildly popular television series Rick and Morty, this is a homage to the episode “Big Trouble In Little Sanchez” in season two where Rick transfers his consciousness into a younger-bodied version of himself. While at a party, the newly-dubbed Tiny Rick grabs a random acoustic guitar and breaks out into song about his body trying to control his switched consciousness. At least it wasn’t Wonderwall.
In a time where artists are pushed to be their most creative, who would have thought to make a post-rock version of a song featured in an Adult Swim show? Sorority Noise definitely deserves a high five and pat on the back for this one.
You can listen to the ridiculously awesome “Tiny Rick (Let Me Out)” and Sorority Noise’s most recent release Joy, Departed here:
Penny Lame: ‘Penny Lame’
Girl-pop is getting a makeover. Athens singer and songwriter Jianna Justice is cultivating a sound that stands entirely on its own, starting with her act Penny Lame. With only two EPs and eleven songs total, Justice hits all the right notes with a sweet voice, minimalistic and upbeat. Penny Lame, released on Nov. 4, 2015, is already a must-listen for those of any age. The tropes of teenage troubles combined with elements of sarcasm and deprecation reflect a very honest image of millennials growing up in a college town surrounded by people that may or may not be growing up with them.
Starting off with the light “Party Song”, Justice says all the things that everyone has been thinking but not saying out loud. The combination of simple pop guitar riffs and lyrics like “I’m the saddest girl at this party” set the tone for the rest of the album: sad acceptance for how things are, with resilient optimism for better things to come.
“Boys & Girls” shows playful comparisons between girls and boys, that create interesting back and forth dialogue between expectations and cold realities of young romance (or lack thereof), while being put down by the even harder reality: “that’s just how it is, cause boys and girls are just kids”.
Sounding like a stripped down Radiator Hospital, Justice is a venus of the avenue with “Penny Lame”, a personal favorite from the EP. With soft backing vocals accompanying the initial lyrics, “Penny Lame” stands out for the growing genre of girl-pop.
“Night Swimming” brings a slower and darker angle towards the pop, then “Slushies In a Target Parking Lot” picks up the pace and offers flutters of the ‘what if’s. To end the EP, “Scumbag City” is refreshing and honest. Billy and Joey do sound like scumbags, and are pretty much relatable to most of the ex-partners we’ve all had.
Without gushing on too much about how great this release is, a quick summary: Penny Lame shows the best and worst of being a teenager or young adult, while navigating that line between growing up and staying young. Penny Lame strikes a chord not just because it’s catchy as hell, but because it’s chronicling a place we’ve all been.
Penny Lame can be found on Bandcamp here: http://pennylame.bandcamp.com/releases
Foxing: ‘Dealer’
Calling the St. Louis band Foxing an indie band doesn’t even begin to do them justice. Starting from humble beginnings in 2010, Foxing released their first album The Albatross in 2013 and was immediately put on artist radar. The Albatross was a success, with notable favorites from the album being “The Medic” and “Rory”. Their sound can be described as many different things, but I like to group them in with what I call “New Wave Emo”, which combines elements of math rock, emo and post-rock with additional instruments that aren’t the typical guitar and drums. Foxing fits right in with the likes of The World Is A Beautiful Place, Algernon Cadwallader and The Hotelier, all of which have claimed stakes in the Emo Revival of the 2000s.
Dealer, the second studio album by Foxing, is bound to follow the same standard set by The Albatross, meaning more punches of emotion and more lyric confessionals. Dealer also brings forth a heavier, darker sound than prior recordings. The album carries a weight that guarantees the listener will remember it afterwards.
“The Magdalene” was released ahead of the album, and it was met with praise. Foxing tackles the intricacies and difficulties of balancing religion and human impulses. Conor Murphy elevates his falsetto to higher heights and keeps it bouncing up and down with the bopping guitar riffs. For such a pretty voice, it’s ironic that the lyrical content is so dark. Met about halfway through the track with soft choruses in the background, guitars and drums take over allowing a harsher, more in-your-face tone for the remainder of the track.
“The Magdalene” can be used to summarize Dealer in the best of ways: it starts off with smooth and concrete vocals with instruments slowly inkling into the mix, but never diluting what Murphy has to express. Although the album starts off sounding similar to The Albatross, it changes about halfway into something completely new. With more ballads and less filler songs, Foxing is blending into an all-consuming sound that hits home runs more than it strikes out. The changing sound allows Foxing to explore a new territory with Dealer that it hasn’t done before: a surreal, existential side. While still retaining the heart-breaking depths shown in The Albatross, Dealer manages to have moments of tenderness, self-revelations and gut-wrenching pain.
Dealer was released on Oct. 30, 2015 and is available for $8 download on Bandcamp.
Vanessa Carlton: ‘Liberman’
After the reigning success of “A Thousand Miles” from her debut Be Not Nobody in 2003, Vanessa Carlton released the not-so-popular Harmonium (2004) and Heroes & Thieves (2007). Despite the commercial failures of the two albums, Carlton moved on to release Rabbits on the Run through label Razor & Tie in 2011. Critics viewed the album as “introspective,” with generally favorable reviews on rating websites like Metacritic. Roughly four years later, Carlton has discovered a different sound and a different side of herself. After marrying fellow musician John McCauley (Deer Tick) and having a baby girl, Carlton’s life has changed drastically, and that change translates directly to her music. The singer’s upcoming fifth studio album Liberman explores the sensation of taking time off to do things you actually want to do, and the reflection of self that comes with having a change of pace.
Compared to the immediately recognizable commercial pop of “A Thousand Miles,” Liberman has reached into a smooth synth-pop dreamland. “Take It Easy” starts the album with an unexpected direction. Carlton sounds like Ellie Goulding but with drowned out vocals more commonly found in low-fi tracks. The combination left a calming atmosphere for Carlton to achieve another pop success.
The album is saturated with Carlton’s signature piano hooks, and for “Willow” they open the track up without drawing too much attention from Carlton’s vocal range. “Willow” and “Blue Pool” (track 5) give off the impression of a medieval renaissance pub during the middle of a shanty.
The track is immediately followed by the hauntingly beautiful “House of Seven Swords,” where the lyric “together and we’re still on our own” sets the definition for the album. Liberman has Carlton reconnecting to her roots, discussing major life changes and how they’ve impacted her views. “House of Seven Swords” looks at that angle through a sweet and slightly melancholy glass. “Operator” expands on the themes in “House of Seven Swords” more blatantly. As Carlton says, “pack up your things, I don’t care what you bring, leave your house for a home.” Family is now a huge part of Carlton’s life, and her move from New York City to Nashville had to leave behind emotional impact that is reflected in her music.
“Matter of Time” opens with an acoustic guitar, which is very refreshing after an album of mainly synthetic drift. The track also shows variety in layered harmonies, something that Carlton does magnificently. The stripped down sound accompanied by multiple Carltons singing “when is it time to let go?” is a sincere and heartfelt expression towards the world.
Tracks 6 and 8, “Nothing Where Something Used to Be” and “Unlock the Lock” respectively, show more of the mindset that Carlton has acquired, but with less of the variation that is expected from someone of her musical talent. The tracks are catchy enough, but not near the same caliber as other tracks on the album. While not necessarily a let down, they offer a slightly disjointed feel to the rest of the listing.
The real star of the album is the simple and refined “Ascension.” The first minute of the song is filled with alternating piano chords and synthetic distortion that works suprisingly well together. Carlton sings very little on this track, letting the overall sound speak for itself. A good move. Her very obvious piano skills are highlighted while incorporating stylistic elements of shoegaze around 1:46 to add twists to the straightforward song.
Overall, Carlton has experienced a big move. The lyrical reflections of her path in Liberman are honest, playful, and jarring. By stripping down to the core of emotion, Carlton has tapped into her lyrical strengths while experimenting with sound, resulting in a beautiful calming album.
Check out Liberman, out today, and be sure to catch Vanessa on her upcoming US tour (dates below)!
Tour Dates
Oct 30 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Oct 31 Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi
Nov 01 Iowa City, IA @ The Englert Theatre
Nov 02 Green Bay, WI @ Meyer Theatre
Nov 04 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Nov 05 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
Nov 06 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
Nov 07 St Louis, MO @ Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
Nov 09 Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
Nov 10 Chicago, IL @ City Winery
Nov 11 Evanston, IL @ SPACE
Nov 13 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
Nov 14 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
Nov 15 Cleveland, OH @ Music Box Supper Club
Nov 17 London, Ontario @ London Music Hall
Nov 18 Toronto, Ontario @ Mod Club
Nov 20 Montreal, Quebec @ Lion d’Or
Nov 21 Ottawa, Ontario @ Mavericks
Nov 23 Hamilton, Ontario @ Molson Canadian Studio at Hamilton Place
Nov 30 New York, NY @ City Winery
Dec 01 New York, NY @ City Winery
Dec 03 Troy, NY @ Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Dec 04 Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
Dec 05 Portland, ME @ Asylum
Dec 07 Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Dec 08 Fairfield, CT @ StageOne
Dec 09 Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
Dec 11 Washington, DC @ The Howard Theatre
Dec 12 Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
Dec 14 Durham, NC @ The Carolina Theatre
Dec 15 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Dec 16 Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay
Dec 17 Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
Dec 19 Asheville, NC @ New Mountain Theatre
Drake Dances In Hotline Bling
No one expected “Hotline Bling” to get so popular, and no one expected it to become the next music phenomenon. Now you can’t go anywhere without hearing the iconic beats along with someone saying “you used to call me on my cellphone”. On Oct. 19, 2015 Drake released the highly anticipated music video for “Hotline Bling”, which was the first music video since If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late‘s “Energy”. Created by Director X with inspiration from American lights artist James Turrell, the video is clean and simple. The use of different colored lights and sharp shapes created an aesthetically pleasing world for Drake to freestyle some dances moves in. Heads up: the dancing is goofy and absolutely perfect.
Check out the video for “Hotline Bling” here!
The Casket Girls: ‘The Piano Album’
On October 17, Savannah natives The Casket Girls are releasing their third album, called The Piano Album through Graveface Records. The three piece group features sister vocalists Elsa and Phaedra Greene as well as Black Moth Super Rainbow’s Ryan Graveface. Although the two previous albums were infused with experimental electronic sounds similar to those used by MGMT, The Piano Album takes a more low-fi approach. With Graveface creating and playing the piano melodies and the Greenes stealing the stage with hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies, The Piano Album is both unusual and familiar at the same time.
The album starts with the appropriately-titled track “Beginning”, one of three entirely instrumental tracks that mark up the album at the beginning, middle and end. Advertised as the only instrument used on the entire album, the piano sets up The Casket Girls with a simplistic premonition for the rest of the tracks.
“True Believers” follows suite with a gloomy, low-fi piano mixed with the hauntingly visceral double vocals of sisters Elsa and Phaedra. Currently with 471 listens on Soundcloud, “True Believers” is either the most popular (so far) of the album or has gained the most exposure. Either way, the track starts off sounding very similar to the beginning of “Flashlight”, that one song from Pitch Perfect 2 that ended the film on a happy note. Thankfully, it progresses and sinks into dreamy territory with the repeated lyrics “we’re the true believers” melting into the piano melody seamlessly.
Tracks three and four, “24 Hours” and “Nightlife”, showcase the light nature of The Casket Girls. With climbing arpeggios of harmonies that float away with the drowned out piano, the music is reminiscent of bedroom-pop group Fog Lake with lyrical comparisons to contemporary artist Lana Del Ray. The lyrics seem fun due to simple phrases and lots of rhyming, but are actually acute criticisms on human nature. With the Greenes slowly chanting “perspective is subjective, judge and jury” in “Nightlife”, it’s hard to see how something so catchy could possibly be that dark.
The Piano Album does have a lot of darker moments. “Sixteen Forever” is a soft and gentle goth ballad that warns of maturing relationships and the new challenges they reveal. Choruses of “You cannot please me, I cannot please you too” followed by “Only the dead stay sixteen forever” takes the light-hearted melody of the piano and turns it into something far more real. Similarly, “Beyond a Shadow” touches once more on fallen romance and how “love never turns out the way you thought it would”. The true and honest lyrics compare the loss of love to a loss of light in someone’s life, equating in a shadows. Maybe that’s diving too deep into a lyrical analysis, but repeating “the source is gone” in a song titled “Beyond a Shadow” about romance could be used as evidence.
On a different note, “I Talked to God” and “Mermaid Cottage” offer surprisingly uplifting melodies and lyrics to an otherwise spookily direct album. For a group that has the word “gothic” attached to it at all times, it makes the listener redefine their definition of gothic. Bright and poppy female vocals juxtapose beautifully with words like “ouija board” that generally have sinister connotations, leaving a very interesting sound that The Casket Girls have fleshed out entirely as their own.
Overall, The Piano Album is a smooth listen. The melodies created by Graveface are all very different but flow within the same vein as the rest of the album, making a musical harmony that compliments the airy voices of the Greene sisters to a tee. The soft piano and soft vocals make it sound like two elegant women in floor-length velvet gowns with pearls and long ivory gloves are seductively serenading the listener, with overwhelming success. Although the drowned out tone of the album may take getting used to for first-time listeners, The Piano Album will keep you coming back for more.