Camp Dark is a Minnesota based indie-electronic group consisting of vocalist Adam Svec and effects manager/drum synth operator Graham O’Brien, who also produced and mixed this album. Most of the songs were written by Svec following a year stay in South Carolina, and serve as commentary about the disparities and social injustices that he witnessed in the American South. This is Svec and O’Brien’s debut album, and features a host of guest musicians including Dan Choma, Matt Friesen, deVon Russell Gray, John Keston, Matt Leavitt, Robert Mulrennan, Casey O’Brien, and Chris Slater. “Nightmare in a Day” features a wide range of instruments and specializations, and it is clear that much collaboration went into shaping Adam Svec’s original song structures into full studio-quality compositions. “Nightmare in a Day” was released May of this year.
At first, it may seem a bit peculiar that the only two members of this group are a singer and a synth operator, or “beat-maker”. However, despite all the other guest musicians brought in, Adam Svec and Graham O’Brien are decidedly the standouts on “Nightmare in a Day”, as they should be. They simply both do their jobs very well. This album predominately consists of harmonized vocals and percussion, but the two are combined in a way that sounds incredibly musical and aesthetically tasteful. The typical Camp Dark song consists of airy floating vocals backed by mellow synths and low key drums, occasionally with a few other musical devices thrown in. That’s pretty much it instrument-wise; there isn’t much guitar, there isn’t much piano, and almost no bass. The contributors of this album were many, but their intimidate roles in this album seem minor. The entire sonic package is usually saturated in reverb and leads listeners into vast ambient spaces of sound, leaving one with an effect of “pleasant disorientation”. The fact that tracks tend to bleed into each other complements the musical atmosphere even more. “Nightmare in a Day” is an excellent chill out album. Adam Svec’s voice is fantastic for this type of music, often singing in a mild croon that floats over O’Brien’s strategically mixed drum patterns. Svec’s usage of harmonies can carry an entire song; not only is he a great vocalist, but this album shows Svec has a natural talent for melody. Considering the lack of other consistent instrumentation, this melodic vocal talent is necessary for Camp Dark to create tracks that sound instrumentally stark, yet still have a sense of depth and space. For one of the best examples of Svec’s voice, listen to the last track, “Words That Don’t Exist”. In addition, other great songs on this album include “Charlie”, for its overall encompassing atmosphere and fuzzy guitar solo, “Family Curse” for its excellent drum patterns, and “Bluff”, also for its creative drums patterns in combination with Svec’s vocals. Svec and O’Brien make an excellent musical team.
There are a few effects and loops in this album that are quite annoying, despite the fact that most of the electronic instrumentation on “Nightmare in a Day” is fitting and mixed well. The most blatant example of poor and awkward musical choices is in the eleventh track, “Out For Blood”. On the surface, the song is great. The lyrics are good, Svec’s vocal performance is one of his best on the album, and overall, the tune seems complete and well written. Yet for some reason, somebody decided to put this super-fast, aggressive drum beat in the mix just loud enough to tear apart the composition and distract listeners from Svec’s performance. It is obviously a loop that repeats about three times over the course of the song, and it stands in high contrast to Svec’s crooning lyrics and the warm piano. This song demonstrates that sometimes the drums and effects go a little overboard on “Nightmare in a Day”, and listeners may wish that all of the “stuff” was dialed back from time to time.
Camp Dark has made a great electronic record. Despite a few flaws and occasionally aggressive usage of effects, the tracks stand out as excellent compositions that offer listeners depth into a vast sonic atmosphere. Svec is an excellent singer, and O’Brien is very talented in creating instrumentation that benefits Svec’s vocals. This debut album was a great first effort.
~Owen Mattheson
Artist: Camp Dark
Album: Nightmare in a Day
Label: Bellows Studios
Website: http://www.campdark.com/
Genre: Indie electronic/pop/atmospheric
Sounds Like: The Notwist
Technical Grade: 5/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 7/10
Commercial Value: 5/10
Overall Talent Level: 7/10
Songwriting Skills: 7/10
Performance Skills: 7/10
Best Songs: Charlie, Family Curse, Bluff
Strengths: Excellent vocals and vocal harmonies, interesting songwriting, creative percussion
Weaknesses: Effects can be intrusive, obvious drum looping, can sound muddled
