ALBUM REVIEW: the self-titled, debut album from Knightstown

The recently released self-titled debut album by Knightstown will undoubtedly make you feel all kinds of things. Its unique amalgamation of genres creates its own alternate space within the music industry and will immediately pick you up and take you there.

Behind Knightstown is composer and singer-songwriter Michael Aston. It is with his dream-like voice that the first track of this debut album commences, taking you into the distinctive world of Knightstown and the beautiful emotion which it is born of. The vocals are soon joined by an enchanting electronic melody, on which our focus is harmoniously carried into the depths of the album. The album’s opening track builds the artist’s distinctive sound, yet leaves room for the variety that is yet to ensue.

The album’s uniqueness comes from its successful attempt to create music influenced by such a variety of genres. For instance, Aston’s musical influences lie greatly with classical composers, particularly J.S. Bach. This influence especially shines through in tracks such as ‘Come Home to Me’ and ‘Colossi’. ‘Come Home to Me’ layers the artist’s mellow vocals over a beautifully classical instrumental and an extra-terrestrial-sounding electronic melody; and still somehow manages to create a harmoniously successful piece. ‘Colossi’, too, epitomises this collaboration of genres. Following on from the delightful piano melody of ‘Moon’, ‘Colossi’ commences with powerful string-led, classical-style instrumental: making the track immediately pull on the strings of your emotion. ‘Colossi’ is an incredibly enchanting track and, being the penultimate song, is placed perfectly to leave you wanting more from this interesting and unique artist.

The sound and space that this album creates takes you to a place of quiet thought and emotion. Evoked immediately in Aston’s mellow yet deep vocals, the album produces a soft intensity throughout that will play on your feelings the way only music can. The epitome of this emotion comes through on tracks such as ‘Border’. This piece moves quickly through high and low vocals, layered on a busy backdrop of both classical and electronic melodies; ultimately calling for a compulsively emotional attention from the ears that hear it.

Produced by FatCat Records, the classical influences of the artist’s roots remain throughout the album, yet tracks such as ‘Catcher’ open this piece of art up to the ears searching for up-beat and immediately catchy pieces. It brings the album into the world of pop, and it does so very well. ‘Catcher’ is current and likeable thanks to its up-beat melody and memorable chorus constructed of Knightstown’s fast-paced vocals.

Knightstown’s first full album is, dare I say, a masterpiece. It is modern, classic, smooth and emotional. Tracks follow on from each other oh so fluently, meaning you can absolutely forget the shuffle and skip buttons for this one. The tracks flutter through the different genres that the album draws on, each track evoking a different feeling, successfully forming the artist’s unique sound that appears to come so effortlessly to this intriguing creator.