Initiatives of social unity and improvement upon communication are driven by the Yin & Yang symbol as well as new age styles that seem to stand behind the music of an American project called Angel/PhantomX. This name stands for one man, two minds and controversial expressions.
The ideas from this artist touch the present state of human communication – competitive, greedy, selfish and isolated people bound to their computers, cellphones and other electronic gadgets as well as social networks, between whom natural speech becomes non-existential. Angel/PhantomX creates music to make others see their bad habits and attract like-minded people who need to identify with this goal. To make this happen, this DIY composer and producer released an album called D.I.C. (Dysfunctional Insane Communication) which can be purchased on his official website and has also finalized a world wide distribution deal through the Italian based label, DavidDance.
A song from this album titled „Cry Baby” is a mixture of a few styles of music which gives it quite an original flavor.
On top of that, you can hear reggae rhythms with soothing, rocking atmospheres, almost like a lullaby.
The title, along with the way the vocals are performed may suggest that the song could be useful to calm crying kids who throw tantrums to draw attention to themselves. It may be also an allusion towards the modern emo culture. On the other hand, there are heavier guitar riffs looped into the refrains which make the song roll on. Additionally, the structure of „Cry Baby” is based on repetitive parts which make it easier to remember the hooks.
Now, because a sincere critique brings more good for the future than sweet lies, there is one little minus which should be mentioned as well.
The song doesn’t have an intro, it just starts playing. The same thing happens with the ending – it cuts off quickly. This may be due to the song being a part of an extended presentation, not yet prepared for individual play as a single. Even though this is not a big deal in regards to the goals of the song, it technically sounds like the core structure is missing these two parts.
Other than that, the idea of opening people’s eyes for natural, previously used, but presently ignored methods of communication may mean more for Angel/PhantomX than this little disadvantage mentioned above. Let’s wish Angel/PhantomX good luck with all of his endeavors!
(Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Magazine, January 20th, 2012)
http://www.iamphantom.com
http://www.facebook.com/angelfw
Reviewed by Google+ Music Reviews