Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
The local band might as well be named Kid A-Phonic for its soaring, all-over-the-place debut, Why It Sometimes Feels Good. Singer-guitarist Pat O’Brien is a classically trained opera singer capable of that stretched-thin-by-the-existential-angst-of-it-all Thom Yorke falsetto, and what notes he can’t hit, his drummer bro Matt can. If they were Limeys, they’d be in your UK band (Travis, Starsailor, Radiohead) iPod folder. - Metrotimes
Drawing comparisons that run the gamut from Pink Floyd and Robert Plant to U2 and even Jeff Buckley, Aphonic has attracted a loyal following in the community...
Last summer, Aphonic recorded an album in Dover, Nj, with producer Ben Elliot at Showplace Recording Studios, whose clients have included Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Nirvana and Rollins Band...
"It's a small city, and recording is all we did. There was nothing else to do, except jog at night and eat sushi," O'Brien said. "When that's your job, things get done really fast." - The Herald Times
The album Why it Sometimes Feels Good is rock music beyond most of what is being produced today. Aphonic are three students of classical music—Detroit brothers Pat O’Brien (vocals/guitar) and Matthew O’Brien (drums), and Luke Scram (bass)…
The composition and the production of this album are amazing. Every background vocal, every effect, every little touch seems to fit perfectly, as if each were born into its place in the song. The music is layered but never sounds cluttered...
Their classical training serves them well as they have a wide range. Unlike some talented bands that fall into a rut, Aphonic’s songs don’t all sound the same, but there is a cohesiveness to the tracks...
O’Brien can hit falsetto notes that can be hard for a guy to pull off without sounding whiny, but he nails it…
While most bands use effects and studio tools as the icing on the cake, Aphonic uses them in the batter of the mix. But that isn’t what is so outstanding. The effects used don’t come off sounding hokey or like afterthought.
- The Record Music Journal
Aphonic made a name for themselves quickly and there work has often been compared to Radiohead, U2, and Pink Floyd...
Full recordings of Aphonic's music can be heard on the band's official web site at www.aphonic.com. Their unique sound is certainly notable on tracks like "Should've Known," which combines the singular vocal styles of T-Rex's Marc Bolan and u2's Bono...
The music itself is a breezy guitar-laden journey that bears similar resemblance to the clear guitar chimes of early U2, while keeping up a steady pace with an intensity that, while not too heavy, doesn't let go for three rocking minutes...
Other great pop/rock with flourishes of post punk and late sixties' garage rock can be heard on tracks like
"Took a Long Time," with guitars that seem to fire like a ray gun as Pat O'Brien's voice wails and echoes with a hearty confidence that avoids being whiny and pretentious like many of today's alternative acts...
Recording their songs on old fashioned analogue equipment, as opposed to digital, gives Aphonic's music a refreshingly new, yet retro, personality that makes one feel a kind of nostalgia for a sound that never was. - Dan Wrzesinski
Discography
Airport Bars
(self released shorty)
Why it Sometimes Feels Good
(self released LP)
*more information at www.aphonic.com
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Aphonic began playing out in the Detroit area in 1999, but moved in 2001 to the city of Bloomington, IN, where Pat and Matt had enrolled at the Indiana University School of Music. Here they met bass player Luke Schram, who soon joined the Aphonic lineup. In the following year, Aphonic traveled frequently between Bloomington, NYC, and Detroit. Their music is influenced by both classical music and rock, and the result is an intensely artistic blend comparable to the sounds of U2, Pink Floyd, Cream and Radiohead. During the winters of 2002-2004, Aphonic traveled extensively despite the demands of the music school, and in the summers they moved back to Detroit to rehearse and record. A demo recorded at the Whiteroom Studios and Swag Studios in 2003 resulted in increasing attention across the Midwest and East Coast, especially in NYC. The demo quickly became a self-released EP under the name Airport Bars. Since then Aphonic has been traveling regularly and has completed the album Why it Sometimes Feels Good. Increasing attention in the United States and Europe has prompted the band to release the album and plan a small tour for spring 2006. When they are not traveling, Aphonic lives and rehearses in Detroit. More information, music, and press details are available at the Aphonic website, www.aphonic.com.
*more information at www.aphonic.com
Links
