CRIT: MUSIC: Natural Calamity - Peach Head
Artist: Natural Calamity
Artist Grade: C+
Album: Peach Head
Label: Nicklebag
Genre: Trip Hop, Hip Hop, Psychedelic, Indie Rock, Pop
Suitable for: Summer Days, Summer Nights, Getting Stoned, Dusk, Late Night Listening. Outstanding Track: As You Know (DB Remix).
TRACKS
1. Dark Water & Stars 5:01
2. As You Know (Dust Brothers Remix) 4:51
3. So Good 5:41
4. Tomorrow 4: 03
5. Jessica 3:30
6. And That's Saying A Lot 4:08 4:08
7. That's The Way Love Goes 4:20
8. As You Know (Anything Could Happen) 4:35
9. In The Wee Wee Time (Original Version) 3:25
10. And That's Saying A Lot (Nat. Cal. Alt. Remix) 5:09
Bass, Keyboards: Kuni Sugimoto
Drums: Kyoichi Shiino
Electronics: KUDO
Guitar [Pedal Steel]: Genichi Tamura
Guitar, Bass, Effects: Shunji Mori
Percussion: Neville Marphie
Producer: Natural Calamity
Vocals : Stephanie Heasley
Written & Arranged By: Natural Calamity
Several tracks Mixed By Ben Jones & Recorded By Jason Eyers
REVIEW
If you like pot, Pink Floyd or shoegaze dreampop this album is for you. It fell between the cracks because it was two Japanese producers who gave the music to a third party to sing over and thus the label did not know how to promote it well.
They capture a nice mellow psychedelic vibe via their tremelo'd out Vox guitars and don't overproduce it (not much compression, just enough but not drowned in reverb, etc). Instead, the vibe is almost like a seeing a jazz trio in a smoky club-- the music is intimate and not buried in layers.
At the same time, even when using some hip hop style drums (EQd to 1000hz or so) they don't make the music sound dated. Rather, everything works as easy as sunday more things like rubbery dubby bass and occasional sampling.
A memorable melody and delivery always works for me when its ethereal female vocals with a little bossa nova style detached singing. This is almost as good or better than Mazzy Star (whom is also adorable but tends to write the same song again and again).
Don't just listen to the songs on Youtube. Buy it, the whole thing is good. Then smoke a bowl and take a nap while listening to something sweet.
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