Written By: Chaz McKinney
It is almost painful when good music goes unheard. Not to wax poetic about it but enough bad music gets such high levels of publicity that when really intricate, unique records like The Diaphone’s Distance are presented as an audible option on the veritable buffet, it’s really a pitiable occurrence — the perfect exotic entrée that no one at the party touches save for a few adventurous souls who find it’s much more palatable than anticipated, and all the more rewarding for it.
And so, it’s with that image that we delve into Distance, a 5-track EP from Philly-based indie rock outfit The Diaphone.
“…8-bit synthesizers and brash, abrasive drum machine rhythm form an odd communion with walking bass lines, organic chord progressions reminiscent of jazz standards, and airy vocal delivery…”
To plainly label the sonic landscape as indie rock, though, is a bit of an injustice to the group. Their finely crafted atmosphere wafts through each track on the record, dripping in what this reviewer can only describe as Sega Genesis soul. The 8-bit synthesizers and brash, abrasive drum machine rhythm form an odd communion with walking bass lines, organic chord progressions reminiscent of jazz standards, and airy vocal delivery from lead singers Dave Rogel & Melissa Marie.
The result is something that’s pleasurable to the ears and altogether dream-like, if only in need of a bit of polish. The weakness of the record is its mixing, which often overpowers the ear with guitar and reducing the drums almost to secondary instrumentation. ‘Run Away’ comes the closest to a good mix on the record, and is one of the collection’s most memorable inclusions — the Minneapolis-sound-by-way-of-film-score feeling of the whole track is visually stimulating, and the break from the bridge into the final tag is one that I imagine would be stupefying live.
Folk-tinged closer ‘This Is What They Left Us’ and midpoint ‘A Good Sign’ are the real standouts on the record. The real strength in the music is not it’s catchiness or memorable lyrics, but rather the feeling that it stirs in the listener. The hypnosis of the songs often lull the listener into such a trance that the lyricism and melodic structure seem to become instruments in their own right, supporting the foreground of the music rather than the music supporting them, but it’s a wonderfully fulfilling sound that is completely its own beast.
“Fulfilling is perhaps the best word to use to describe this EP…”
Fulfilling is perhaps the best word to use to describe this EP, seeing that it creates an overwhelming aura of positivity regardless of how dark it may sound; songs swell around buzzing guitar melodies and crescendo into beautiful slices of synthpop. The influences apparent in the composition range from U2 to Toto to Stevie Wonder to Pat Benatar to Radiohead to Silversun Pickups, but the final product never borrows too much from any of them, allowing instead for The Diaphone their own sound entirely.
The Diaphone – ‘Tornado’ (Music Video)
The band’s sound is self-described as ‘hidden attic music’, and one would be hard-pressed to find a better label. This is music that’s made to be heard live or on vinyl, and to be found by one’s children years later and passed on in much the same fashion.
It will never be popular on Top 40 radio, nor will it draw huge crowds to stadium tours, but it will undoubtedly make you feel. It will make you think of Instagrammable summer days and long drives through lush wintery directed by Sofia Coppola, and it will make you glad that you took the time to hear something that is purely a labor of the love making music for music’s sake.
And maybe that’s not such a bad thing; maybe the fact that such music does exist for the adventurous audiophile alone makes it all the more special when it’s part of their collection. Weaknesses in the mix aside, The Diaphone’s Distance is not something to pass up if you’re in the mood to hear something creative, simple, and conducive to a warm happiness that will last you all afternoon.
The DiaphoneFulfilling is perhaps the best word to use to describe The Diaphone, their Distance EP creates an aura of positivity regardless of how dark it may sound.Distance EPWritten by: Chaz McKinneyDate Published: 11/01/2013Fulfilling is perhaps the best word to use to describe The Diaphone, their Distance EP creates an aura of positivity regardless of how dark it may sound.7 / 10 stars