Night Surgeon – Night Surgeon
Posted by Lindsey Scully
Score: 6.4/10.0
Too Dark Records
Night Surgeon
Portland’s Night Surgeon make catchy new wave electro-pop songs that effectively use a combination of live drums, guitar and synth. The duo consists of Berklee College of Music graduates Patrick Replogle and John Boyd, who use their music education to pen thought-provoking lyrics and blend synthesizers with live instruments. Night Surgeon just released their self-titled EP via Too Dark Records as a follow-up to their 2011 debut full-length Day For Night.
One of the standouts on Night Surgeon “Magnets” opens with an upbeat rhythm that quickly slows down for Replogle’s vocals. “Magnets” is the only song on the EP that features vocal harmonies, which provided a welcome break of the monotony of only one vocalist. Throughout the entire EP you can hear the personal lyrics that tell the tale of past heartache, loss, and also the courage to move on, “It’s funny how it seems like yesterday’s still here/ The remnants of the past still linger in my fear”. “Miles Away” invokes a dreamscape imagery in the listener’s head with guitar slides that mimic falling stars and celestial noises. The variety of synth, keys, and guitar provide a perfect audio landscape that emit the hope you find in the lyrics of “Miles Away.” Night Surgeon revisits the idea of moving on from the past with lyrics such as “..Yesterday’s a ghost that shows its face/ Far, far away/ I’m ready to move on by running away.”
“You And Me” is Night Surgeon’s dance hit. With tropical influences provided by the synth and tribal drumming, “You And Me” has a constant, consistent upbeat rhythm. The vocals gain confidence halfway through the song and burst into a higher – and louder – range than on any other song. “Changes” slows the EP down with the languid reverb found in a majority of the song. The percussion in the song is really brought to the forefront and shines. “Talk To Me” is the modern-day throwback to Wham! with Night Surgeon’s catchy chorus and drumbeats. If you close your eyes you can almost feel the collar of a denim jacket against the nape of your neck and the neon sunglasses on the bridge of your nose.
While each song has its own unique properties Night Surgeon as a whole does not offer much variety between the six songs. Replogle’s vocals use similar melodies on songs throughout the album and consistently sings one verse then pauses for the same amount of time, as heard in “Let Love In” and “Talk To Me”. If you enjoy one song off of Night Surgeon then you will enjoy every song off Night Surgeon.
Night Surgeon oozes sensuality but it lacks the confidence and swagger from their previous full-length Day For Night. The EP contains catchy dance songs that appeal to a large group, with “Magnets” and ” You And Me” baiting new fans.
