Album Of The Week: "L o o k" by Devata Daun

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of June 12th-18th, 2016:

Devata Daun - L o o k

01. We Were Carried
02. Fascinate
03. Animal Instincts
04. Willow
05. I've Been Here Before
06. Subconscious Gestures
07. Tell Me Your Visions
08. Skeletons
09. Be A Stranger
10. They Say

(Devata Daun via Serene Supreme)

I was turned on to Devata Daun via Radio K's excellent Track of The Day program. Back in October of last year they featured Daun's (aka Nikki Pfeifer) Off The Record performance of "Animal Instincts" as one of their local tracks of the week. Radio K's TOTD program is usually pretty eclectic, but even after spending a week with the song (and repeatedly watching the "Skeletons" clip below), I still didn't know what to make of her sound.

Fortunately, shortly after her TOTD appearance, the picture slowly came into focus. Daun, Garrison Grouse, & c.Kostra (aka Ryan Olcott) announced that they were forming Pytch Records. Spending time on their Soundcloud pages led me to an array of stellar singles (Daun, Grouse, & Kostra have since had songs on my Flatbasset Radio podcast) and went a long way to galvanizing their sound. Jared Hemming's excellent City Pages write-up helped me wrap my head around what Olcott describes as their "lo-fi" & "pitch-deviant" sounds.

So, all of that background info aside, L o o k brings with it one obvious question: Can the Pytch Records sound stand up over the course of a full-length LP?

The answer, at least in Daun's case, is yes.



Opener "We Were Carried" is an excellent example of Daun's version of the sound. The elastic keyboards drift in & out of the mix like their batteries are dying at the end of each sustained note. Daun's sustained vocals are relatively stoic, belying a sneaky, simple melody that balances off those keyboards. The whole thing is held together by the percussion, which, seemingly immune from the keyboard's teetering sound, proves to be the album's secret weapon.

The studio version of "Animal Instincts" stands as an early album highlight. Over plinking, heart-monitor-esque keys that make it sound as if we're entering the scene mid-chase, Daun declares, "We are savage animals, you are my prey..." in a tone that's equally cold & sensual. The hunt gains pace via added layers of keyboards for the next 90 seconds before Daun sings "we don’t decide when the thirst takes over, lead me to the water along that rolling river..." as the song opens into a kaleidoscopic burst of keyboards. Just as quickly as it opens up, however, it closes and the hunt begins anew.

Lyrically, Daun tackles quite a few subjects on L o o k. Nature, consumerism, longing, confusion, dissolution of friendship, religion, um... skeletons, all of them are filtered from Nikki Pfeifer the songwriter through the prism of Devata Daun. Fortunately, the fact that Pfeifer prefers keyboards to acoustic guitars keeps the subject matter from sounding too self-serious. For example, give a listen to "Subconscious Gestures:"


"These disconnections are making me numb, yesterday we felt a bond so strong..." No doubt, this is a universal sentiment that would pass as little more than cliche in some songwriter's hands. In Daun's hands, however, it's laid right in the middle of a pulsing keyboard beat, and delivered with a matter-of-fact tone that somehow relieves it of both its weight its potential for cliche. In the context of that subjects tackled on L o o k, it comes off as merely another disappointing moment in a modern, digital-centric lifestyle that has only minimal time to spare on such things. It's both relieving & disconcerting, as if perhaps the pendulum of modern emotion has swung too quickly from dwelling to dismissive.



Late album highlight "Be A Stranger" tackles this same subject matter post-disconnection. At 2:22, the song is basically Pytch's version of punk rock. Daun asks, "Why don't you go now? What is there to be afraid of when you are the stranger?" while skittering drum-and-bass percussion forces the issue along so fast that no one has the time to let on that they're hurt. "Don't be afraid to be a stranger..." she sings playfully, one last kiss-off before shutting the door.

Despite the fact that I've spent the last three paragraphs discussing the album's lyrics, make no mistake, L o o k was always going to sink or swim on its grooves, and it definitely swims. Even if the lyrics are ignored completely and Daun's voice is treated as another instrument in the mix, these songs are filled with hooks & flourishes that make it an album that rewards repeated spins. Though L o o k is essentially a collection of singles that initially stood alone, it holds together very well as coherent piece of work and stands as a great introduction to Pytch's world.

Daun will be playing at The Triple Rock June 30th. If you'd like to check out L o o k for yourself, head on over to her Bandcamp page.

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

Album Of The Week: "Cruel Love" by Cruel Love

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of January 26th-February 1st, 2015:

Cruel Love - Cruel Love

01. God Is In The Bar
02. Beat To Love (w/Manchita
03. Dream Protector
04. Kissing In The Corner (w/Botzy, Beasthead, & Godelt)
05. H My Darlking
06. Free
07. Blind Love
08. Home

Back in September of 2013 I spent a week with Cruel Love's debut EP.  In my write-up of that record I wrote that "Cruel Love is an electronic indie band from Minneapolis" and claimed that that was the entirety of my knowledge of the band.  Here we are 15 months later and that's still essentially true.

Since that post the band's profile has certainly grown here in the Twin Cities.  I now know that the band consists mainly of Bonnie Stitches on vocals & Mo Bluntz on pretty much everything else.  They've collaborated with a host of local musicians (as evidenced by the guests on Cruel Love) and seem to be garnering a legitimate local following.

Cruel Love makes it obvious why their profile is rising.  On the five song EP, Cruel Love sounded like a group that knew how to write a good song and then wrap it up in synths & echoes.  In hindsight, that record seems like a trial run.  Everything on Cruel Love sounds more fully realized.

Musically, the songs are still catchy, but far more expansive.  The echoes & synths that gave the band's songs a unique sound on their first album have become full-fledged, essential parts of the equation on Cruel Love.  Additionally, the drums hit harder and (especially on "Dream Protector" & "Kissing In The Corner") there's quite a bit of nifty guitar work.  Without taking anything away from Bonnie Stitches vocals, Cruel Love would stand on its own as a purely instrumental.

But oh, those vocals.  Stitches performance here is light years beyond what we heard on EP.  Whether stealing your girlfriend, admitting her vulnerability in dreams, or merely sharing drinks with the song of God, Stitches sounds confident and sensual in ways that never occurred earlier.  While being the lead singer in a two-person band inevitably means she'll be the de facto "image" of the band, that's a coup for Cruel Love.  She's clearly at the doorstep of joining Dessa, Caroline Smith, & Maggie Morrison (and many, many others) as a leading voice in a Twin Cities scene that is seemingly overflowing with talented frontwomen.

If you'd like to check out Cruel Love for yourself (which I suggest you do immediately), head over to their Bandcamp page.  Both Cruel Love & EP are available as "Name Your Price" downloads.

For more of my rantings you can give me a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page.  Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

Album Of The Week: June 30th-July 6th, 2014

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of June 30th-July 6th, 2014:

Dichotomy - Subterranean

01. Subterranean
02. Tony Montana
03. Brand New
04. Sleepwalk
05. It Comes And Goes
06. Save The Frame
07. Railways
08. Cinder Blocks
09. June Gloom
10. Switch
11. Iscoceles
12. Vial

I decided to check out Dichotomy's album Subterranean for a couple of reasons.  First off, I'm friend of a friend a member of the band and, seeing as how the record is starting to gain some legit traction, the least I could do is spend some time with it.  Second, after spending the past couple of weeks with shimmering indie rock (The Starfolk, Rogue Valley), it was time to switch it up.

In that regard, Subterranean definitely delivered.  Coming into the week I knew that the album would be a mixture of live instruments & computerized flourishes, but I wasn't quite prepared for the way Subterranean plays out.  The first half of the album skews a bit heavier than I'm a fan of.  Most of the album's vocals turn up in this first half and, in conjunction with some aggressive drums/guitar work, they imply somebody who first got into music as a teenager via 93X (no great sin, by the way. I got into music via 93.7 The Edge. Just looking for a comparable here.).

However, the second half of the album is where Dichotomy really plays to their strengths.  The vocals are scaled way back and the aggressiveness of the songs, while still present, aren't nearly as constant.  Tracks like "Cinder Blocks" & "Switch" show a band with a real grasp of pacing.  Each song breathes, allowing the beats, pianos, and wayward guitar lines their time to shine.  There's a lot of nice work being done on Subterranean's second half.  Hopefully it's a harbinger of things to come from Dichotomy.

If you'd like to check out Subterranean for yourself head over to Dichotomy's Bandcamp page where the album is available as a "Name Your Price" download.