Melaina Kol - Face Eating Phantom Men

​Melaina Kol

​Face Eating Phantom Men
self-released; 2017

​3.8 out of 5

By Dan Weston

I know from experience that the art of songwriting can take a long time to develop. It took me about fifteen years to get to a place that I wanted to be and that was after going to school for music. Development happens on different scales and it's definitely evident for the young artist Melaina Kol. Melaina Kol released THEROTTINGMOUTH last year and there are inarguable improvements on the most recent release Face Eating Phantom Men. 

The production has improved, the songwriting is more concise and the delivery is more dynamic. That being said I think there are a couple of things that could use more refining. There are some timing issues here and there. Nothing to egregious but noticeable enough to anyone who is really paying attention.

The album opens with “Doom” which displays some of the recent strengths of Kol which is creating catchy hooks that are utilized in a unique way. The dynamics could have been tamed once the louder part comes in but I thought it was an inventive array of sounds. 

Up next is “Hearts” which is a highlight. It's really catchy and bears comparison to a band like Sparklehorse. He sings, “I don't want anything I just want to lie down and think through things.”

“Death” is another catchy success while “You” is a rickety track with experimental vocals. Kol gets into experimental, ambient territory with “Mom.” This track was longer than most of the song with lyrics and it may have been more effective at a shorter run time. 

As the album progresses there are some more catchy tunes like “Break.” Kol is the most ambitious with the closing track “Mask” which goes into some unique directions. 

I’d like to see Kol get a little more ambitious with some of his songs and I hope “Mask” is a sign of things to come. Some of the songs felt like he had good initial ideas but didn’t know where to take them. On top of that I felt like I wanted the energy to change more on some of the songs. 

​Overall, Kol should be proud of the obvious improvements that are happening. This album is a step in the right direction and was highly enjoyable.

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