Got this in my inbox a while back and even though they never responded to my email (I get that a lot, must be a part of being me thing), still thought this band was well worth sharing. One thing that's nice about doing these reviews is getting exposed to music in areas I normally wouldn't explore and getting turned onto to talented folks all over the world. Post Honeymoon are a duo out of Chicago and for just being two people, keys and percussion essentially, they have a very sophisticated sound, that right from the getgo is very infectious. Here's the PR, "On sophomore record, Second Skin, the married pair eschew guitars in favor of hip-hop and dub arrangements that swirl seamlessly with Rachel’s keyboard chops and Nick Cave-esque vocals and Nick’s monster hits of the kit. Think Hammond organ, Clavichord and Melotron over Timbaland-meets-James Murphy MPC grooves, steered by primal drumming." I could really leave it at that, that's a hell of a good description and paints a beautiful picture of what's going on here, but I can't stop there, I like the sound of my own voice too much. Speaking of voices, Rachel's vocals sound kinda like a mix of Siouxsie and Fionna Apple (If you don't like her shame on you), of course with a twist...almost lounge-like, or cabaret, in a Billy Holiday kind of way. Sometimes with bands, lyrically you feel like the words just arbitrary, and you're better off just listening to the sound of a persons voice, which in this case you could do with how good Rachel's voice is, but the words here are important and add a whole dimension's worth of depth. Rachel's keys, or synth or whatever, are all over the place, she uses a wide range of sounds and melodies that sometimes are danceable, other times take you away on a trip or you're just left pondering and reflecting. Nicks drumming (does he do the drum machine parts too or is it one of those earl 80's electronic drum kits), is absolutely perfect, it provides the ground from which the flower springs forth and blossoms. His rhythms are all over the place too, stylistically he seems to be able to set whatever mood he pleases. The overall music could best be describes as eerie. like a jazz funeral, but not depressing. As I implied though, the songs do not all sound the same , there is some variety here that keeps things really interesting. One of my favorites is this hip hoppy one that they both sing on...
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3668319012/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/t=7/transparent=true/
Their release says, "for fans of: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sharon Van Etten, the Kills, Metric, Nick Cave, Grimes, Local Natives, Austra, Bat for Lashes, Anika." Can you here that in this tune? Not familiar with some of those acts, but of the ones I do know, I like PH a hell of a lot more. They are on an even par with Nick Cave and that's saying a lot when you consider a vet like Cave. This is a band that probably with the right exposure, could be big in the charts type of scene, but they're different enough to stay out of the pop circles. They have a decent amount of web presence with an aptly named website, Post Honeymoon, and also have a Facebook, Twitter, and a Tumblr. The album is chock full of great songs, there isn't a bad one on the whole thing, a rarity that. Give it a listen...
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3668319012/size=medium/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/
[vimeo 72009767 w=500 h=281]
Post Honeymoon - Kid With a Gun (Official Video) from Post Honeymoon on Vimeo.
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