Review:
Portland, Oregon, synth-pop group Wampire got their start blasting
electronic music at house parties, but Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps had higher aspirations.
For their debut album, Curiosity,
they approached their music differently, writing guitar pieces and adding a
drummer before approaching their synthesizer/laptop. The result is a very accessible
album full of great songs (that seemingly pull from a myriad of influences). Tinder
and Phipps have created a cohesive sound that in ways is both simple and
intricate – simple in that the songs have a very clear pop sensibility (and
feel like a mixture of today’s indie rock sound that is very electronic music
infused and the rock/pop of the late 1960s) and intricate in the way the sounds
are written and layered.
On a side note, Wampire’s album
cover for Curiosity is incredibly weird, tacky, and hideous (which, I think is
the point) – but also hilarious and well suited to that collection of songs,
which have an overall odd tone and spooky ambiance.
Curiosity is well worth checking
out, and fans of synth-pop and indie rock/pop will probably enjoy it. 3/5
Essential Tracks:
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