Porcelain
Raft
is the chosen moniker for Mauro Remiddi to record solo material under. He has
released a string of EPs throughout the past few years, and has now arrived at
a pivotal point in his journey, with the release of debut LP, Strange Weekend.
Previously in the band Sunny Day Sets Fire, the musician has a lot of
experience both as a frontman and a composer. The album coincides with his
recent support slot for M83's UK tour, and the comparisons between the two acts
are apparent throughout.
Dream pop is a genre that I've
covered extensively on this blog, and as far as dream pop goes, Strange Weekend
is a pretty great dream pop album. Remiddi doesn't mess with the staple
criteria of the genre too dramatically, instead he mixes wistful guitars, synths,
strings and electronic drum samples to form an enjoyable, enigmatic record.
Remiddi draws inspirations from
a vast selection of musicians and eras. The electronic beats and drum samples
are similar to the aforementioned M83, as well as some of the vocal work. The
hazy, laid-back production style is akin to that of Atlas Sound, while some
tracks hark back to music of the 80's and 90's. The thing that sets Strange Weekend apart is primarily
Remiddi's vocal work on the album. He uses his voice dynamically, both as a way
of conveying messages, and also as an instrument in its own right. The way it transforms
itself throughout the album is rather unique. His androgynous tones can change
dramatically from track-to-track. At times he is reminiscent of Bradford Cox,
and the next he has a voice shrouded in mystery and longing.
Considering the petite length
of the album, the amount of different ideas on display in Strange Weekend is
quite surprising. Much like the vocals, the vibe of the tracks vary wildly throughout
the ten-track LP. Remiddi makes his influences clear throughout the album; the
most obvious is that of Atlas Sound. The hazy, nonchalant production shares
uncanny similarities with the prolific musician. There's hints of MIA's 'Paper
Planes' on 'Unless You Speak From Your Heart', while The Cure's influence is apparent on album opener 'Drifting In and Out'. The vastly different styles on the
album make it a pleasantly unpredictable record and prevent it from getting stale.
Remiddi chooses to record his
music in a basement in New York rather than the more traditional way, in a
recording studio. Assumptions would be made that the production quality would
be affected detrimentally, but home production seems like it suits Porcelain
Raft's lo-fi styling well. Although it wasn't professionally recorded, it still
maintains a feeling of professionalism. He obviously worked tirelessly to
make the album sound as good as it could, with the layers of music mixed
together meticulously so that no beat or string seems to fall out of place.
Although Strange Weekend is
certainly an ambitious debut, not all of the tracks seem like they fit in as
well as others. There are a few songs
that feel like they were added to bump up the play-time, such as album closer,
the slow-burning 'The Way In'. The slow, distortion filled tones of 'The End of
Silence' don't really add much to the overall flow of the album either.
With Strange Weekend, Remiddi
displays great potential both as a musician and producer. The debut shows great
craftsmanship, production values and dynamics. It's an album that doesn't rely
on hooks to keep the listener's attention; instead it uses a plethora of intriguing
ideas, captivating vocals and hazy, whimsical pop to demand attention. Even if
not everything on the LP is executed to great effect, there's still a lot on
the album worth checking out.
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment