Insight & Critique
  • DAC
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact

The Empty - Moonbather

7/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Empty

Moonbather
self-released; 2017

​4.1 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM

By Jamie Robash

I was fortunate enough to have come of an early age up through the ‘80s, the early days of MTV that made me think that everyone in Europe had a Flock of Seagulls hairdo and wore pink eyeshadow and was constantly bombarded by smoke machine fog and pastel lighting. But then when the ‘9os hit and grunge made its way into the mainstream so many of these early ‘80s bands were looked at as being washed up and no longer relevant to the culture of the time. 

Some bands managed to soldier on however and kept a steady following and made some pretty impressive records. The Cure come to mind here and rightly so here because the Portland, Oregon, trio The Empty, whether they realize it or not, owe a great deal to Robert Smith’s pet project which has been making angular guitar with doldrumatic electronic undertones to it for some four magical decades now.  

When it comes to band longevity The Empty are no slouches either. Sean Dant, Jacob Schmitt, and Bobby Dezfulli have been making their mark on the Portland club scene for over a decade now themselves. Their latest record Moonbather the follow-up to their 2014 breakout record Lost Levels, is full of angular guitars that slice through thick intricacies laid down by the electronic elements to make a record that is both pop and rock that is equally as good for the concert hall as it is for the dance hall. 

The band waste no time hooking listeners on Moonbather with the opening track “Shaking Hands (Callow)” sounding a little like The Cure meets The Shins. The song is about as tight and catchy as a song can be while still not sounding like it was written for such a purpose, rather just serves to show the natural songwriting talents the band has learned working together for so long. Further evidence of this is how effortlessly they slip into the sleek dark pop a la Interpol on “Come on Come Back,” and then slow down the tempo and up the electronic elements on “Inside Edition” which slowly drips into a dark drone rock masterpiece. 

Later The Empty loosen the reins even more and opt for open experimentation like on the watery sounding “Driver” and the lucid and sprightly synth-pop of “Nobody Knows,” and then slipping into the haunting noise collage of “Speaker of the House” which resonates with echoes of latter day Portland emo vets Sunny Day Realestate.

​Despite my allusions to other more well-known musical acts of the past few decades I should note that these allusions only serve as a reference point, a place to start off from. The fact is that Moonbather is the culmination of many years’ worth of tireless work by The Empty and it is a record which is wholly original and another landmark for band that continues to experiment.

Become A Fan
bandcamp
Tweet
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

       Critique/insight

    We are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent  music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.

    Tweets by divideanconqer
    Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook


    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

Company

About
Contributors

Newsletter

Newsletter
Book Your Band

© Divide and Conquer 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • DAC
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact