I’m not going to bother putting any biographical information into my review of Aberdeen City’s new album The Freezing Atlantic. I’m making this decision because I think I can safely say that the bio they sent me is a pack of lies. I don’t have a problem with that; actually I think it shows moxie. The bios sent out as part of a press kit are so often written with such flowery words of praise, that the band couldn’t live up to it if Jesus himself were on drums. A little tongue-in-cheek humor is always appreciated. It allowed me to approach The Freezing Atlantic with curious anticipation.
The first few strains of “Another Seven Years” are discordant and slightly off putting. However, these first few seconds are not indicative of the beauty found in the rest of the album. The second song, “Pretty Pet”, evolves from Brad Parker’s (vocal, bass) poignant voice over simple guitar chords into harmonies layered with violins. The entire album seems to build on each song in much the same way.
Aberdeen City’s love of complex pop music is prevalent throughout The Freezing Atlantic. “God is Going to Get Sick of Me” is reminiscent of Radiohead in both sound and vocal styling. Other comparisons can be made to U2, with their use of guitar and structure.
The band splendidly combines J. Ryan Heller’s and Christopher McGlaughlin’s spacey guitars with Rob McCaffery’s forceful drumming. It keeps the songs from becoming overly mournful, shoegazer music.
The Freezing Atlantic turns out to be good enough to justify the casual bravado of their bio. If you are interested you can read it for yourself online at www.aberdeenmusic.com. The band doesn’t try to overreach, but focuses on crafting solid pop music.
