Music Snitch

Surrogate’s laid-back vibe and Chris Keene’s calming voice are both present and accounted for on their latest album, ‘Popular Mechanics’, which is out today via Tooth & Nail.

I’ve been a fan of Surrogate since crossing paths with their debut album, ‘Love Is For The Rich’ a couple years back, and have recommended them to friends and peers. Their music reminds me of sitting on a beach shore in early-fall, watching the sun’s reflection bounce around the ocean top like little specs of glitter, without a worry in mind.

Only mere moments into the album’s instrumental intro track, I got a sense that ‘Popular Mechanics’ wouldn’t be lacking that Surrogate charm. Now, having heard the album as a whole, I am happy to say that my rash assessment was correct. Surrogate created a strong sophomore album and different songs grew on me with each listen (Water Tower & Love Is For The Rich). However, on a couple tracks it seems like separate sounds that were bound for alternate routes, ended up converging together in a dull collision. This causes Surrogates’ subtle sounds to lose their anonymity, which is a key attribute to their music.

The highlight of the album in my humble opinion is the beautiful track ‘The Devil Gets What He Wants’…it is delightful. I prefer the mild mannered, non-noisy side of Surrogate, it’s their niche.

Take A Listen: Popular Mechanics by Surrogate

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Download: Popular Mechanics (Right click on link and select “Save Target As” in IE or “Save Link As” in Firefox)

While many bands choose to pull the wool over your eyes by polishing up their debut album until it shines so bright you can’t see the fundamental flaws, Surrogate decided to steer clear of ostentatious ingredients. Their debut album, Love Is For The Rich, is a lo-fi ensemble that is bristled enough to counterbalance Keene’s unsullied voice. Surrogate’s music is charmingly calm and collected without being uptight.

Love Is For The Rich is a delicately spun web of unobtrusive lyrics and humbled confidence…Charlotte would be proud. Gentle percussions do some heavy lifting as they control the pace and add diversity to an album that could have been a complete flatline. Surrogate created songs people can relax with, move to, break-up to and make-up to, all while keeping their foundation in tact and without venturing too far off the reservation. This album definitely has the potential to drive its listener into a peacefully woozy haze where drifting off into a stare and intent listening become one in the same. Not every track on Love Is For The Rich is completely memorable but there are enough high points to make a base jumper happy. After this album takes a few laps in your stereo, beautiful little touches that might have been initially overlooked will start to stick out like a sore thumb. Stand Out Tracks: 15, Upsidedown Pictures, Photographic Memory

Note: Surrogate’s album, “Love Is For The Rich,” will be released on August 28th.

Surrogate’s WebSite