I recently got a hold of my friend Derek's new album Strangers Vol. 2. (you can get it here). I loved Vol. 1 and I was really excited to see where Derek would go with its companion. The album picks up where Vol. 1 ends. A mix of sounds that slowly become melody in The Rabble part 2. This up paced start gives way to upfront piano, distorted vocals and chorus. All of these will be recurring themes in Vol. 2.
On Derek's last album the guitar was the center piece, but it is the piano that stands out on this album. If Vol. 1 was wilting and dreamy then Vol. 2 is a staccato and scary dream. Dreams and memory were the focal point of Vol. 1. There was a contemplative take on these themes in Vol. 1 but this album demands more. It is not a rhetorical question but one that needs answers. (look at When I Forget my Name). In Vol. 1 these questions seemed personal, often through the voice of Derek, but Vol. 2 features more choruses. It seems that these questions are to be asked by all of us. Vol. 1 used multiple vocal takes to make a disjointed feeling. In Vol. 2 Derek distorts his voice, cutting out bits and adding a creepier feeling at times. The songs on this album build quite a bit, much like a Sufjan track. Again always placing the piano at the front. The piano is the driving force, especially in the the hits on songs like When I Forget my Name and Tongue in Cheek. The lyrics are a bit more playful in this album, and more interesting. Sometimes Andrew Bird-like. Make no mistake this is obviously a Derek Porter album. This may be easy for me to recognize. I heard Roger the Engineer for the first time almost three years ago, but could not have guessed how the song finally worked out. And songs like I've Been Walking seem like a bit of a change for Derek.
So what did I think of the album? Well, up until the final track I was forced to settle with the fact that I liked Vol. 1 just a bit more. Then the final track came on. Chestnut Tree is the perfect end for the album. Not just Vol. 2, but for Strangers as an album. A song that has the slow and melodic attributes of Vol. 1 and a stronger, more epic chorus in the middle from Vol. 2. This is all tied up beautifully when the build and repetition of "love I feel you pulsing in the tree" breaks. There is no need to listen to this album as competition to Vol. 1 but completion. Strangers is a great album and Derek has really stretched himself sonically. If you haven't listened to Vol. 1 get a hold of it and listen to both of these albums.
