Second EP from one-man indie-folk-pop band
Casey Chandler’s follow-up to 2009’s Our Lost Generation finds him once again working alone in his studio, overdubbing his vocals with guitar, ukulele, bass, drums, chimes and layers of falsetto harmonies. He depends less on his uke here, and the results are less wound-up and more contemplative. The opening “Aloner†sounds like one of Chris Bell’s down-tempo numbers, with quiet hints of Clem Snide’s “Moment in the Sun,†and a terrific closing flourish. The tempo picks up to a trot for the strummed country-folk “Beauty of Birds,†the plea “Don’t Go & Break My Heart,†and the Celtic-tinged guitar instrumental “Solemn.†Chandler’s lyrics tend to the poetic as he seems to contemplate isolation, loneliness, malignant behavior and self-preservation. The title track’s synthesizers, rock ‘n’ roll drums, guitars and bass show some interesting versatility, even if the volume provides a startling punctuation mark at the EP’s end. Galapaghost may soon morph into a group, as Chandler’s moving to Austin where his two EPs will serve as calling cards to hopefully like-minded bandmates. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com] 