Delphic's 'Acolyte'

Here’s another pick from the stack of bands that I’m helping Chuff Media work on, and this one is special for a few reasons. Delphic are a trio from the UK whose first LP was released last month. They’ve gotten a huge amount of British press and their label (Polydor) has plastered Tube stations all over London with posters promoting the release. It’s not hard to imagine why they’ve gotten so much hype when you listen to the one-two punch of this record’s first two tracks because they collectively sum up a good majority of what’s been going on with alternative rock in general in the last year or so. What’s incredible about this record is that the band has a really well defined sound for a first LP, especially since they seem to blend the lines between alternative rock, electro-pop, and straight-up house/techno so well.

The aforementioned first two tracks combine a wide range of influences, and the less obvious ones save the sound from the danger of cliché. There’s an obvious comparison to the brooding electro-rock of Joy Division (or more recently Editors) or the big-hook/understated guitar juxtaposition sensibility of just about every indie rock band in the last decade. But when you listen past that, you start to see that these guys really listen to a ton of different music. The first track, ‘Clarion Call’, starts with a minimalist guitar intro that recalls Steve Reich’s ‘Electric Counterpoint’ and the next track continues with a panned vocal that would could off as annoying if done by any other electronic act, but somehow ends up being really sweet. The slick sound of the band is also very apparent and it’s a welcome treat to hear the careful work producer Ewan Pearson put into the grade-A mixing. Unlike many recent electro-rock albums, they don’t overdo it here with walls of sound or tons of reverby-fuzz (I’m looking at you, MGMT) Instead, the tight arrangements are allowed to speak for themselves and the songs are allowed to shine through, because the band knows they don’t have too much to compensate for.

Another pleasant surprise is that the record actually gets better as it goes and hardly ever runs out of steam. The previous mention of fellow-Brit-electronic rock act Editors was not an accident- their latest release started off with an unbelievably kick-ass first track, but couldn’t keep the record consistently interesting, resulting in a sound that became grating to listen to three tracks in. Delphic, on the other hand, already knows how to vary the ideas and spread them throughout this record. Placing the mostly-instrumental trace jam ‘Acolyte’ in the middle of the set is both a perfect summation of purpose and mold-breaker all in one. This is probably one of the best title tracks I’ve heard in awhile because of the intelligent build up and spectacular pay-off that makes me want to take some pills and cut loose all night.

Similarly is the first-single ‘Counterpoint’, which doesn’t even show up until almost the end of the record. Both tracks are well-crafted tunes that are also perfect to dance to. And what more does music really need to be?