Album Review :
Darkroom - A Curious Excavation
By Eric Pettersson in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: Darkroom
Album: A Curious Excavation
Label: None (released independently)
Release Date: March 31, 2007
Tracklist:
1. Windsor Knots
2. Afraid
3. A Curious Excavation
4. Consequences
5. The Best Part
6. Quicksilver
7. Stagecraft
8. Six eight four four
9. Blanketed Fortress
10. Veranda
11. The Old Gun
Hailing from Winona Lakes, Indiana; Darkroom comes boasting a five-man line up, each with his own unique set of influences. Yet they come together to create something quite familiar, but not in a bad way. This musical endeavor floats along melodically emotive indie rock, gliding the waters with strings, bells, and horns.
At times I feel like I’ve found an unreleased Death Cab for Cutie album. The title track begins with slow and soft guitar lines that could have fit just as easily on The Photo Album as this release. At other moments, like the incredibly passionate, horn-led bridge of “Six eight four four,” I can’t help thinking of Anathallo. The bells on many of the tracks add a nice element to both the melody and percussion, also serving as one of the most unique parts of Darkroom. Most of the songs are on the mellow side, and sometimes the album begins to flow together, making it hard to remember specific tracks, which may sound like a boring album, but it’s usually just the result of a cohesiveness throughout the songs, which could be good or bad depending on your taste. Personally, I must relate Darkroom to pork chops and mashed potatoes. I enjoy everything on my plate, but after a day or two I’ll need to eat something else. Still, after a few weeks… I’ll probably want some more pork chops and mashed potatoes. With some applesauce too. Mmmmm.
All dinner analogies aside, at least for now, Darkroom has served up a decent plate of songs. It’s not quite infectious, but it is quite beautiful. This disc would make a great soundtrack to some late night thinking, or the background to your next art project. Now please excuse me, while I go ask my household’s cook for some pork chops, mashed potatoes, and applesauce to be made in the near future.
7/10
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