Author: smallglowingpig

At the risk of making it seem like Music Club is back, I’ve decided to finally post the last music discussion-by-email that Steve, Jefim, and I had. This one starts in 2017 and then is resurrected by me in February of this year. Jefim still hasn’t weighed in, but I can update this post if he does…

Anyway, this time we went with one of my suggestions. We focused on the band Crumb, who at the time only had two EPs. I innocently hoped that by sharing an EP, we’d get through it quickly and have the opportunity to jump into a second album in short order. Well, here we are in 2020 publishing our thoughts about Crumb’s Locket.

Enjoy!
-Mike

Blonski

I let this one get away from me during the Holiday times, but I’ve been listening to Crumb’s Locket for the past several days. Deciding to go a different route than the track-by-track and address it (mostly) as a whole. So here’s my take:

This EP was enjoyable overall. Not knowing any of Crumb’s other music, it’s hard to know from these 4 songs how versatile the band really is. My impression of the band, but more specifically the singer, is that there’s a conscious decision to leave her vocals flat in the mix, almost buried at times. The energy and melodies are subdued, and coupled with the effects on guitars and synths gives the impression of a psychedelic/atmospheric vibe they are going for. Somewhere between Tame Impala and TOPS. But the melodies don’t have the catch or variety of either band, so ultimately its a “nice to listen to” but not enjoyable enough to get that much more out of with each listen. Lyrical content as well; Most lines are forgettable as they fade into the mix. More on the memorable side was the title track, which seems to have more passion and vocal dynamic to it in general. I’m all about comparing the sounds to other bands I’ve heard, as you both well know; “Locket” had a Cardigans vibe to the vocals, dismissively playful in tone.

Where I appreciate the band’s performance most on this EP is in the soundscapes they attempt (and sometimes succeed) to develop. More specifically the choice of synth patches and effects that give each track a cohesive quality, while being varied enough to not get stale from song to song. Instrumental breaks in each song help bring the soundscape to life and make me think of bands like Gentle Giant and Pink Floyd in their psychedelia, and hints of Minus The Bear with possible loop/delay elements. Some songs like “Locket” benefit from a push and pull feeling created by the dynamics of each section, where others like “Plants” keep things pretty flat, almost soundtrack-like. The synth-work seems to be the most unique and identifying part of the band, and will get me to come back and listen to their next release to see how that will develop over time.

Production wise, I wan’t crazy about the mixing. The drums were muddy at times, and very flat sonically, lacking energy as well (except last track). Solid playing, but just not that interesting to listen to. The instruments often got in the way of each other. I did like some of the bass sounds they got, from muted Motown strings to jazzy plucking, and honorable mention of the fact that he was definitely rocking a fretless! Sounded refreshing in the context of the style.

To use an overall rating for the EP, I’d give it a 3 out of 5. When it comes to the general style that Crumb seems to have (which I enjoy), I tend to gravitate to more experimental and challenging compositions and performances. E.g. where a band like Hiatus Kaiyote solidly lives, borrowing from jazz and R&B freely and pushing the boundaries as they go (sometimes too far, admittedly). That was probably not a fair comparison, but this EP really just made me want to listen to another thing that sounds like it, only better.

Mike

I feel a little like a grave robber exhuming a corpse, but I’m going to attempt to bring this album discussion back to life by listening to Locket by Crumb and distracting myself as I do some “real work”.

The shifting effects work on the keyboard part contrasts with the consistency of the guitar, drum, and bass sounds. The bass work is nimble in spots but doesn’t get in the way. This song also introduces a theme of the EP (band?): changing tempo or time signature from one section to the next. I suppose here it’s for dramatic effect, building in the last third of the song – complete with a soaring, effect-laden lead.

The intro to the second track, “Recently Played,” has a Karate vibe thanks to the whammy bar – until the keys (electric piano?) come in and then the flangy chorus. It somewhat clumsily shifts time between 3 and 4 and the chorus drags to me a bit because of it. They pull a similar trick with a tempo change on the title track, though it’s a little more successful there.

“Thirty-Nine” introduces and layers a few sounds that I would have thought incompatible, and the results to my ears are mixed. I dig the organ and the sweeping synth, but the fizzy drive and chip-tune synth arpeggio don’t do it for me. Lots of tom work in this one, but it all feels a little deep in the mix – like they either couldn’t get rid of the room sound on them or they added some reverb that makes them seem separate from the rest of the band. When the song eventually breaks into a sort-of-solo section, it gets a little sloppy. Parts like this one make me wonder how “live” this recording was. I suspect their live show sounds pretty faithful to this album.

The vocal production and the drum sound in the intro to the last track reminds me of something we would have done in the 3 Strip Meal days… turn up the lofi knob to create contrast with the rest of the song. The melody on this one is a little too question-answer for my liking. Each first phrase has a response phrase that turns the melody around a bit. I think because the entire song does it, I end up fatigued by it. The last third of the song turns into a slow-tempo jam where the band is seemingly abducted by aliens if the sound effects are anything to go by. Not sure how deep the lore is for Crumb.

I’ll second Blonski’s final analysis: pleasant to listen to but there’s not really any single thing here that will keep me coming back.