Places and Numbers-Waking The Dead

Band: Places and Numbers(Equal Vision Records)
Album: Waking The Dead (EP)
Genre: Electronic/Experimental
Sounds like: Secret Police, Surrounded by Lions, Gatsby’s American Dream

You may know the man behind the eyes of the act Places and Numbers. Bobby Darling, ex guitarist for Gatsby’s American Dream, has formed his own project that ended up getting him signed to Equal Vision Records. The musical venture you are taken on during this album gives you that tingly feeling for only being 4 songs long.

Bobby shows his really creative side when it comes to this EP. I’m not necessarily a fan of Gatsby’s American Dream but this I imagine, is probably completely different. Each song gives you a completely different mood and sets an atmosphere like no other. The unapologetic lyrics leave you feeling like he truly is going raw with his emotions in it and make it that much better to listen to. He really reminds me of the newest Forgive Durden with his style and I like it a lot! Not to mention, this EP is free to all. But we’ll talk about that later.

Track one starts off the album in a proper way and it’s titled “I had a Dream About a Nuclear Attack.” This song leaves me feeling like he really focused the most on this one because of the artisticness done in this song. Combining a lot of acoustic guitar that you can hear moreso in the beginning and muxed in during the rest of the song with electronic sounds really makes a different sound than you’ve ever heard. The feeling you’re given is almost a sad feeling until about midway when the inviting feeling is introduced. Almost like he’s inviting you in to his mind for you to relate to and be honest about it.

Track two is probably my least favorite, mainly because the feeling I get. The ominous effect Bobby has on his voice really sets this song down, even though you can still hear the little chimes in the background that don’t override his voice. Something about it just gives me the creeps, but that’s why he’s so talented. Each time I listen to this EP though, I notice something different about each track. On this one, it gets worse and worse and I can’t get over it, so I skip to track three.

Track three and track four give me almost the same exact reasoning why they’re probably the best songs on the EP as a whole. The environment layed out in front of me while I listen to it and setting really pushes the limits. The electronic style involved in both tracks are uncomparable to previous tracks and combined with Bobby’s vocals, it’s like no other. Like I said before, each time I listen to this EP, I hear more the next time than I did the previous time that makes this EP really fantastic. I haven’t necessarily focused on his vocals during the tracks but I sense a lot of brutally honest mind spoken lyrics that he always wanted to say but couldn’t.

So I get back to what I said earlier. Places and Numbers is a relatively new act that I think everyone should at least check out once, what have you got to lose? Oh that’s right, the EP is FREE! With the help of Bandcamp, this EP is free to all, for whatever the cost you choose. Yes, you choose the price. Get over here and check it out.