Poltergeists – Movement debut album review

England’s got a good track record for electronic music. It’s got the father of ambient music: Brian Eno. It’s got the most soulful dubstep out there: Burial. It’s got one a guy that Philip Glass covered: Aphex Twin. And it’s got James Blake, apparently a peddler of something called ‘post-dubstep’. What links these artists together, apart from the Englishness? They’re all mixed together in a man from Bristol, by the name of Joseph Parsons. In a project called Poltergeists, he has recently released his debut album ‘Movements’. Another step in the English chain of electro-ness? I figured I’d give it a go.

There are, for me, three standout tracks in this album. The first is the fourth track on the album and a the sparse ballad of lost love, The Lake. His voice is showcased, and is surprisingly raw, husky and heartbreaking. His lyrics an extended metaphor to lost love and passion gone. The flow of his layered vocals understated and mature. His talent for powerful harmonic change is shown in this song. This is the most emotionally powerful tune, and shows his power as a standalone lyricist and songwriter. The second standout is the seventh song on the album, Gentle Encouragement. An understated but driving beat carries this whole song, and his emotive piano manages to bring across feeling even when synth fails. The vocal melody is strangely reminiscent of school-yard rhymes, and is powerfully effecting. The crowning moment on this track is the layering of chorus and verse vocal melodies, creating a rich tapestry of noise. The simplistic and repeated lyrics call to mind the old refrains of lost English folk songs, drifting through the air. Finally, the album closer, Out Like A Light. The heavy bass noise counterpointed by strange, ghostlike glittery keys. This song holds the most powerful drop on the album, which launches us in to a heavy bash rhythm and sinister, repeating synth. The drop before the chorus flows naturally back in to the beat, and a brilliantly overdriven vocal hammers home the lo-fi aspect of this track. It is very well produced, and the fading away of that harsh glittery synth into strange, ghostly echoes is probably the best moment on the album. It is certainly a fantastic way to end Movements, with the ghost of movement.

However, there are a few tracks that are slightly underwhelming. For instance, First Steps On Grass is a nice instrumental interlude for the middle of the album, but sonically is quite middle-of-the-road type ambient-electro, which doesn’t hold my interest for that long. Another track I found lacking was A Nervous Speech To God. Parsons vocals were too drowned out in the mix, which I found effected the song pretty badly. It misses the emotional punch that the album really depends upon. I also felt that in some occasions, like Floods, the beat had gotten quite samey. I think the album does flow and move, but it needs to have an emotional attack to it, or it’s not really moving anywhere – there needs to be a destination for us, as listeners.

The most strikingly unique thing on this album was the mix of high and lo-fi production. The swirling synths and deep, clear bass couch the crackling, pseudo-distorted vocals of Parsons. The tight drum hits mixing with the echoey, distorted snap of a far-off snare. Even direct contradictions in vocal parts: soaring, layered vocals contrasting with a harsh main vocal melody. Sounds echo in an out of existence. It’s a strange effect, but it permeates Movements and really creates a unique edge to the music.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable debut. At the moment, he’s very much coloured by (what I assume are) his influences: Aphex Twin, Burial, Bjork and maybe even Bon Iver and James Blake. But then again, influences are there to be used. There are some fantastic tracks on this album, from a heartfelt piano ballad like The Lake, to the electronic, strange weirdness of Gentle Encouragement, and these are enough to make up for some of the slightly uninteresting tunes. His ear for simple and emotive chordal changes, and his raw and moving vocal delivery really carries this album, as well as his simplistic lyrics, half cutting cynicism and half heart-wrenching pleas. These are his true strengths, and they are qualities that need to be played up more. Parsons’ voice is sometimes unfortunately too buried and reverb drenched. My only serious criticism is the lack of flow between songs. Usually endings just seem jolted and unnatural, this album’s general flow could certainly benefit from a few musical links. The soundscapes also sometimes become slightly similar, and certainly by Faint I was no longer interested by the beat or synth, not that I didn’t like it. In any case, this album may not be a groundbreakingly original piece of work, but it’s certainly a good, strong collection of songs. I imagine Joseph Parsons’ music will only get better with experience, and I’d watch out for this guy.

Visit the Poltergeists official website from where you can download a free copy of the album Movement. Alternatively, you can listen to Poltergeists Movement album on the Poltergeists Soundcloud page.