Polydor (label)
11 January 2010 (released)
16 January 2010
The words 'Indie' and 'Dance' don't often go together but they have been getting closer in the last couple of years. Hotly tipped Delphic are the latest band to combine the two on 'Acolyte' with comparisons to fellow Mancunians New Order inevitable.
On opener 'Clarion Call' James Cook's vocal style bears a slight resemblance to Foals. After a laid back verse the song suddenly explodes into life to leave a good first impression.
'Halcyon' has the potential to be a future single with catchy riffs that the recent exploits of Bloc Party blending guitar solos with synth loops. The same applies to latest single 'Doubt' with an intriguing robot like voice which sounds like a child trying to learn vowel sounds really quickly.
'Submission' has been doing the rounds on the internet as a demo but the polished album version doesn't disappoint. The strings sound like if White Lies had embraced the world of Electro.
Delphic seem destined for big things this year and 'This Momentary' backs up this claim. It's a plausible thought that thousands of festival-goers will have their hands in the air singing 'Let's do something real'. A throwback to the 90s beckons with drum parts not too dissimilar to 'Born Slippy' by Underworld.
'Red Light' is an uplifting Friendly Fires type song. The name of the song is repeated a bit too much in this 6 minute song. By the end you are left wondering if this is the filler on such a high quality album.
The same can be said for 'Ephemera'. As a collective work this dreamy 2 minutes works well on the album but if you aren't in the mood for floating away this seems a bit pointless.
The way it builds up after the bridge and the simple but powerful drum beat make 'Counterpoint' one of the highlights of the album. The song is summed up in the emotional cry of 'Just tell me nothing's wrong today'.
The title track is epic coming in at 9 minutes. It shows the rave side of Delphic and how they don't have to rely on catchy hooks to make good music.
The last track 'Remain' gives the illusion of a Pop or Trance feel with the subtle piano and the difference in vocal delivery.
Although a lot of bands have been mentioned this is an original, concise album that is sometimes danceable but very memorable and a great way to start the decade.
