Boston-Based Aberdeen’s Future Sounds ‘Bright’

Boston–based band Aberdeen describe themselves as a group who hope to defend rock as an artistic medium. Their soon-to-be-released EP, “Bright,” seems to be the product of this collective desire. Chicago natives Ryan Heller (guitars, keyboards), Rob McCaffrey (drums), Brad Parker (vocals, guitars, violin, mandolin), Ryan Kelleher (bass) and DJ Christopher McLaughlin meld a progressive, sampled sound with dramatic, bluesy vocals.

This results in a delicate balance between the modern and the vintage. It is almost reminiscent of the clash apparent through Maynard James Keenan’s classically trained vocals and the harsher, thrashing instrumentals of TOOL and side-project A Perfect Circle. It works there, and Aberdeen uses it to their advantage as well.

This combination of soaring vocals, cutting guitars and an underlying sampled texture gives the album a definitive art-rock quality. Aberdeen has the feel of an underground band without being gimmicky or sounding like they have recorded straight out of someone’s garage. Rather, “Bright” is clearly a work of careful planning, with intricate layers that can only be peeled back after multiple listenings.

The standout song on the EP is, not surprisingly, the title track. “Bright” is pulled together by Parker’s warm tones, its mid-point punctuated by an instrumental sequence. It is difficult to tell, at times, whether the guitars or the turntables are producing the majority of the digital, prog-rock substance evident throughout the album.

“Softly” is an anthem for the melancholy, complete with the requisite lonely guitar riff and pretty, wailing lyrics. “Several Smaller Details” is a continuation of this, with an emphasis on the violin and the uncomplicated, drawn-out vocals. As Parker sings, “I love the way you smile at me these days / The tension builds ’til I’ll be like you / I don’t want to live like this,” it’s obvious that the simplistic poetry takes form seamlessly through the dynamic vocals.

However, in the third track, “Nightmare Me,” the general structure of the song appears to be somewhat forced. This is the one occasion in which the mariage of the digital and the classical falls short when Parker struggles to flow a jazz-sounding melody over the distinct samplings the rest of the band is playing with. The EP ends with “Disregard as Trash,” a song with a number of easily flowing changes and indecipherable, yet melodic lyrics, interrupted slightly by the overly repetitive synth beats.

While Aberdeen only has six songs with which they can present and prove their songwriting skills, the group manages to work within these limitations and make “Bright” a good starting point for what should be a surprisingly unique new act to emerge from Boston.