Portrait
Warner Bros, 2016
6/10
A short lived pop duo consisting of Lonnie Angle and Thomas Dutton, though Cardiknox only released this one album, it’s pretty clear they put a lot of work into the beat friendly and often retro sounding Portrait.
“Earthquake” starts the listen fully immersed in dance-pop sounds, where soaring vocals, polished melodies and very precise instrumentation sounds destined for the FM dial, and “Souvenirs” continues the formula with a calmer setting and plenty of synthetic drumming amid ‘80s nods that hint at top 40.
Halfway through, “Into The Night” uses artificial hand clapping and plenty of backing vocals as glam-pop is showcased with plenty of studio manipulation, while “Bloodlust”, the best tune present, offers an anthemic chorus that is met with plenty of energy. “What Do i Do Know” then awkwardly places processed vocals against Angle’s very capable pipes that really does ruin an otherwise perfectly fine pop tune that’s got plenty of soul.
Near the end, “Perfect Storm” seems like an ‘80s soundtrack tune to a John Hughes flick, and “Shadowboxing” exits the listen dreamy and both delicate and adventurous, as both Angle and Dutton display their respective talents well.
Though Cardiknox dissolved in 2019, they did tour with Carly Rae Jepsen and this album did see plenty of praise. While Portrait does contain some very well written songs, the massive amount of production and overall length really does out welcome its stay. Had you plucked the best 5 tunes here for an EP, I think Cardiknox would have had an impressive debut instead of an average effort.
Travels well with: Atlas Genius- When It Was Now; Forgive Durden- Wonderland