The Spectacular Fantastic
"Vortex of Vacancy" CD
Ionik
Records
Genres: indie pop, folk-pop, lo-fi
Ionik Records
130 South 22nd St., 2F
Philadelphia, PA
19103
Sep 6 - 12 2004 |
This is the third Spectacular Fantastic disc I've reviewed, and
it seems like there's been even more improvement. Detmer's
songs have become crisper, catchier, and more engaging. After
one listen to this juicy collection of folk-pop tunes, you won't be able to
stop listening. The style Mike Detmer employs is sweet and simple. His
songs are very melodic, with lots of acoustic guitar chords and folky singing. At times he tends towards country, although
most of this can be classified as pop music with folk influences.
Vortex of Vacancy starts off with "Eskimo" and
"Lullaby," two indie pop tunes with slight folk
leanings. Some of the softer, acoustic tracks rank among Detmer's
best; "Orbit" and "Obsession" are deceptively
simple, using cute pop hooks to produce some overwhelmingly catchy
melodies. "Adore," meanwhile, sounds almost like a Sparklehorse
tune, while "Just My Luck" is catchy indie rock ala early Pavement.
"Alchohol" (sic), on the other hand, has a bit of a country
slant. Although many of these songs vary somewhat stylistically,
they all share a certain trend of accessibility that makes them
successful.
Overall, Vortex of Vacancy is an adorably simple pop record
that makes for perfect bedtime listening. Detmer
continues his climb to musical perfection...
86%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
13 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
