Album Review: "Carnation" by Daughn Gibson

Carnation

I'll be the first to admit that for a little while now I have been stuck in a rut.

Ruts are not cool.

It has been the kind of rut that makes people think that this is a heavy metal site, and frankly, that is not how I see it personally. Yes metal, extreme metal in particular, is my favorite type of music, but it's not the only thing that I listen to.

So, in the coming days and weeks, there will be a change and I will be doing music that comes from all over the place. There is going to be some very interesting music here.

Please keep an open mind on this stuff.

Today we're looking at Daughn Gibson's latest album. I can't tell you precisely where he fits in the world. Media Player listed this music as an "unknown genre." I think that's pretty accurate....

Lovingly stolen from his Facebook Page

I suppose the closest thing I could say is that Gibson has crafted an album of Indie Pop music. That oxymoron has always been one of my favorites.

This album has a swimmy feel to it.

The vocals sound like, well not precisely, underwater, but something that's just not quite part of this world.

There's a strong synth element to the record, but it never feels like a snyth album.

There are guitars, drums, pianos, etc. Hell there are even guitar solos. Fuzzed out emotional affairs that often interplay with the piano creating an otherworldly harmony that would be tough to beat.

I'm reminded a bit of Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon by Urge Overkill if it was mashed into the darkest of the Pink Floyd albums. There's a very strong dark mirror Pink Floydy thing going on here.

Between the counter melodies, the harmonies, and the baritone vocals, this album creates a world that I never wanted to leave.

Release: 6/2/15
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Sub Pop Records
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