Found on bandcamp - Stepdad "Ordinaire EP" Review
The other night whilst encouraging Twitter to share their favorite untapped talent music artists with me, one in particular leapt right into my ears. The group was the Grand Rapids, MI based Stepdad (known as @FancyStepdad on Twitter). They were recommended to me by video game music composer Sam Hulick (Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3, the Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate, Red Orchestra 2) and after just one listen I have become utterly enamored of Stepdad's singular sound.
From the first note of the opening track of Ordinaire EP I was hooked on Stepdad's brand of electro pop. Please hit play and enjoy them as you read along.
What immediately struck me with Stepdad's sound is the blend of traditional instruments with an organic use of synthesizers. It is a fairly uncommon occurrence to find a music act which uses electronics in such a prominent way, yet their resulting music feels real and un-artificial. The influences of electronic styles they embrace was revealed as a new surprise in each song, from warm, Moog-like notes to a Theremin solo. On a couple of songs found on Ordinaire EP there was a noticeable Chiptunes influence in the synth riffs, but played in such a way that the songs never sounded video gamey. Listen to "Wolf Slaying As A Hobby" and "Baby Hammers" and see if your ears agree.
"Baby Hammers" was among the tracks which really struck a chord with me (along with "Kings and Centipedes" and "Jungle") for its nerdtastically romantic spin on the love song genre and the impossible to resist opening line, "How did you find my heart in the quarter machine".
The lyrics and metaphors to be found throughout Ordinaire EP display an unusual depth for an independent artist and show the passion for what the song writer was trying to achieve. Perhaps it's the lion, or is it a tiger (ok, just call it a liger) on the cover art, but the tracks "Jungle", "Kings and Centipedes" and "Find Love" have a very tribal/African/World Music influence underlying them, making theses pieces stand out from an already stand set of songs.
To give you an overview of each song on Ordinaire EP, here are my first-listen impressions of each track, as they were live-tweeted earlier this week:
Track 1: "Jungle" - @fancystepdad starts strong with thick drums and original sounding synth lines. Expansive depth in the vocal production.
Track 2: "Squares" - @fancystepdad an even better synth line kicks this one off. Bouncy, bright electro-pop. This is from Bandcamp!?
Track 3: "Wolf Slaying as a Hobby". Love the title and the Chiptune motifs in the synths. @fancystepdad sounding so unique after three songs
Track 4: "My Leather, My Fur, My Nails" . Whoa! Traces of carnival organ and Moog voices! The vocals remind me of @paperroute.
Track 5: "Cutie Boots". Prominent acoustic guitar. I hear a
Track 6: "Baby Hammers". A synth line born out of 8 bit. Sensors suggest this is a nerdy love song from @fancystepdad.
Track 7: "Parrot". At this point I feel comfortable in saying @fancystepdad is the opposite side of the Gothy Dream Pop coin.
Track 8: "Kings and Centipedes". The bright, World Music-inspired synth melody is so utterly charming. This needs to be a hit.
Track 9: "Find Love". At a loss for words to say to the object of your affection? Check the last verse's lyrics. Ooh! Steel drum! (Aside: There needs to be more use of steel drums in music. Subtle uses and in non-traditional forms of music where they are usually found.)
Track 10: "Magic Stones". Whether by accident or design there is a decidedly 80's-ness to this song. But it's not dated. Love it.
A huge thank you to Sam Hulick for opening my ears to the wonderful sounds of Stepdad. You can listen to and download from Stepdad's bandcamp page. The band's newly released album, Wildlife Pop has earned a place among the 31 albums which will be reviewed based on first listen during my Album August review project.
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