Delphic - Collections
- Written by David Beech
After the break-up of their previous band Snowfight In the City Center, guitarist Matt Cocksedge and multi-instrumentalist Richard Boardman, both bored with the guitar driven sound of the aforementioned band, decided they wanted to make music that people could dance to, thus recruiting singer James Cook and (live) drummer Dan Therman and laying the ground work for what would become Delphic.
Inspired by the Madchester scene and Peter Hook's New Order the band have created something truly different, albeit not to everyone's tastes, by fusing live guitar and drums with dance loops and synthesisers.
Collections is the second album by Delphic, and a rather aptly named one at that. What is found on the record is an eclectic mix of dance, funk, pop and classical elements which all but leave the traditional guitar sound behind. This gives the album somewhat of an erratic feel, particularly during the first half. New single 'Baiya' sounds similar to Songs About Jane era Maroon 5 while also managing to sound somewhat like Justin Timberlake at the same time. Track five entitled 'Atlas' is a rare track in which the guitar is clearly audible amidst synth loops. The dynamics within the song are also played with particularly well, fusing Ok Go style crunching guitar riffs with vocal harmonising creates an ambience that's difficult to ignore.
That ambience is carried over in to the sixth track entitled 'Tears Before Bedtime' which is short in comparison to the rest of the tracks featured but packs more of a punch than most. A multitude of instruments play out over an understated drum beat while vocally there is very little to say. A sample of a phone call plays over the top of it creating something surprisingly moving. The transition from 'Tears Before Bedtime' in to 'The Sun Also Rises' is the best in the album and the erratic nature of the rest of the album is soon forgotten as the uplifting Verve-esque strings take over.
For those who are looking for a continuation of the up-beat beat party vibe of their début are going to be disappointed here. The entire album shares little in common with its predecessor. Indeed Collections probably has more in common with a Moby album than Acolyte. That shouldn't put anybody off though; what Delphic have made here is an album full of ideas, some of which not quite realised. Thankfully they do appear to be during the first 5 songs, which allows the second half of the album to truly stand out against the former.
Collections is out now and available from amazon