The Phantom Family Halo’s new record, “When I Fall Out,” is a contemporary psychedelic experience. With elements of acid rock and krautrock, the record comes across as loud and experimental.
The creative force behind the band Dominic Cipolla has created a soundscape that’s not too common in modern day music. The record can sometimes seem a bit single-minded because of a lack of sound variety. But it still sounds good, and the single-mindedness may very well be what Cipolla was going for.
For “When I Fall Out,” Cipolla seems to have drawn on certain sounds from the early ’70s. This includes everything from glam rock to the stylings of Syd Barrett. Cipolla employed techniques such as double-tracking the drums with different drum sets to create a sharp, stereo-delay effect that builds atmosphere. A similar effect was applied to the vocals.
The eight-track, 29-minute record is one of two to be released as “brother and sister” to one another, in a light/dark duo. “When I Fall Out” is the darker “sister” album to “Hard Apple Moon,” which is currently planned to be released in the fall.
The album opens with “The Fall Out.” The track starts with a clean, hypnotic riff and beat which continues all the way through. Cipolla’s dazed vocal melodies and simple rhymes such as “You can stay real high / You can tell a lie” create a lulling effect that is only broken by some jarring guitar chords toward the end of the song.
The heavier aspects of the music are evident in “White Hot Gun.” One of the high points of the album, the song is carried by a fast-paced drumbeat and a driving, fuzz-laden riff. Cipolla lets his vocals loose in an aggressive chant over the guitar melodies. The end result is a great recreation of late ’60s psychedelia.
Amid the extremes of heavy and soft, “When I Fall Out” has some well-balanced tracks in between.
“Lightning On Your Face” is one of these intermediate tracks. The song has a fairly upbeat, almost funky rhythm that serves as the base for a variety of sounds. Except for the stripped-down verses with only bass and drums, the melodies are created with layered vocals, guitars and strings. Again, the hypnotic themes of the music are present here.
The acid rock is extremely prominent in the closing track, “Vital Energy.” From the start, the song puts forth a harmonic minor, Middle Eastern vibe in both the music and Cipolla’s lyrics mentioning “ancient Babylonian slaves.”
Through its melodies and harmonies, “Vital Energy” epitomizes the experimental aspect of the album. It eventually closes out the recording with an increasingly dissonant downward spiral that culminates in a sinister note.
“When I Fall Out” is a well-written record. The album combines an emphasis on psychedelia with a loud, aggressive approach to the music that results in a focused effort. The main pitfall of the album is a lack of variation in instruments and sound variety in general. But the album manages to sound great regardless.
– Email Malik at amalik@media.ucla.edu.