Phillinois - B. bergdorferi

Phillinois 

B. bergdorferi
self-released; 2015

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Phil Gerigscott aka Phillinois is an artist from Goshen, Indiana who recently released B. burgdorferi. In 2012 he contracted Lyme disease and in 2015 felt well enough that he wanted to write his album B. burgdorferi about the disease. As far as I know the songs were completely written and recorded  with a 1987 Casio synthesizer. 

I have to admit that I was surprised by how much I started to enjoy this album the more I listened to it. As I delved into the album the songwriting started to unveil itself. Gerigscott’s songs are at their best when they are tinged with some melancholy. Take for instance the opener “Play (Like To Like To)” which showcases warm synth sounds and a heartfelt vocal performance. The song moves like molasses but never feels like it's dragging. His lyrics are interpretative and poetic. He sings, “nothin' I'd like to do more than to make love on the floor with you and cross the seas excessively and sip the present like a tea.”

The opener is followed by “There's No Point Believing It Will Get Much Worse” which is a strong song but does contain some minor issues. Gerigscott occasionally hits a noticeable wrong note, which I thought he could have been easily fixed and also infrequently goes into a hyperbolic voice which didn’t seem to fit. That being said I enjoyed the doubled vocals. 

“Life Gave You Somethin” felt a bit silly while “Now's Not The Time” is a highlight which feels like a near perfect balance of emotional residue. Another highlight was “I Will Live Long Enough To Procrastinate (If It's The Last Thing I Do).” The song contains Gerigscott’s most dynamic vocal performance and it has a hopeful, triumphant vibe with a good amount of energy. When he repeats the lyrics, “It might pay to be a hater” it feels quite powerful.

“Luv” is an atmospheric song that would have been more effective at around one to two minutes rather than being close to four. He closes very strong with “Tasteless, Unreal” and “Pill$” which were both contained inspired, heartfelt vocal performances.

B. burgdorferi has some mishaps but are easily forgivable. There is a lot to appreciate here so go ahead and give this a spin.

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