Sunday 3 January 2010

Delphic - Doubt

Tomorrow Delphic release Doubt. It’s the bands third single and follows a steady build in the groups profile over the last year. With previous songs Counterpoint and This Momentary creating enough buzz to get the band onto most tipsters lists at the end of 2009 including the BBC Sound Of list and our very own Ones To Watch 2010 list, Doubt is the moment where Delphic try to up the ante further. In terms of sales however their biggest problem with both this single and the forthcoming album may be that which faces many new bands today - the illegal download. For their sake let's hope the groups record company have realistic expectations and can maximise income from other revenue streams.

Something that is gnawing and nagging at our brain with Delphic is that their sound is just a little too obvious. Yet as clearly visible as this is (discuss, can music be visible ? ) we like it in a 'reasonably pleasant it doesn't offend us' kind of way. Not everything can be ground-breaking. We refer you back to our post on January 1st here for our further thoughts on this issue. Doubt sounds as if the Manchester trio assembled elements of Klaxons, Friendly Fires, New Order, Electronic and the Art Of Noise together to construct their own stuttering indie dance behemoth. Their record companies strategy of pushing Doubt out in a week where traditionally release schedules are light and single sales are low gives Delphic a reasonable shot at stealing a Top 40 chart position, increased radio play, and the chance for new ears to soak up their sound.

We've shown the video in our previous Ones To Watch post, but here it is again. The album Acolyte follows a week later, and we'll be bringing a review of it at some point around release date. The band are also on tour in the UK and Europe in January and February.

2 comments:

Phil said...

That's exactly what is bugging me about Delphic as well... it seems quite obvious and contrived, in parts. It's almost like they are purposefully going for a sound that is "so 2010". On top of which, they just seem like they could be this year's White Lies; we'll tip them for a year before they release their album, then come round to the fact that they are soul-less, major label produced radio fodder. (Possibly)

To be honest, I really hope that doesn't happen because I really like them, and having listened to the album few a couple of times, it seems really promising. The closing track is absolutely immense. I just hope that I find some substance when I dig a little deeper!

Breaking More Waves Blog said...

Yes I can totally see the White Lies comparison. I loved Death when they first had it on their Myspace but by the time the album came out it did very little for me.

Anyway, I will give the album some time and will be catching them on their tour, so expect a few more Delphic related posts in the next few months.