With their second album release, “Kelly”, two-man band Folded Light presents an impressive sequel to their first album, released under the band’s name, which came out in January of last year. Folded Light still hovers well under the radar-- seriously, these guys don’t even have a Wikipedia page yet—but promises to deliver dynamic and filling sounds that can appeal to anyone.
Self-described as Dutch Pop, the duo Jaffe Zinn and Steve Damstra hail from Los Angeles and remain enigmatic about their music making process. This aside, their melodic harmonies speak enough for them.
“Kelly” resonates with a chillwave quality that may remind many of The Shins’ earlier albums. Its soothing tones are both understated and interesting, making this album just plain “listenable”. It’s hard to deny its addictive nature once you find yourself playing it for the third time in a row trying to uncover another layer in all of the instrumentals.
The third track, “Landscapes”, is the gem of the record. Well-written and unique, it calls to mind an afternoon of driving on a coastline highway with the windows rolled down. Similarly, the song “Kelly” has an easy listening characteristic that prepares the listener for the rest of what is to come.
The album’s downfall is that while all the songs can be easily differentiated between and there is an earnest attempt to “switch it up” with each one, the middle of the album tends to lag. The spark that was present in the first few tracks fades slightly as the filler songs take their place among the more worked-over tunes, which are not difficult to recognize.
That being said, the song writing comes back full-force with the closer, “No, I Know”. This song is catchy with interesting sampling that brings the album to a solid finish. It also ties the entire work together and makes for a nice record all in all.
For further education about Folded Light’s music, visit their website at www.thefoldedlight.com. While you’re there, give their back catalog a serious listen; you will not be disappointed.
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