Digits- Hold It Close

I’m going to hand out some hardware in the very first sentence: Alt Altman is the best name in music. Especially if you say it Alt-man, instead of Altmun. I’m hoping it’s a pun on being alternative, and making music as such. For Alt Altman, Digits is his new project after being the chief of Europe in Colour, and breaking up. Hold It Close is Alt Altman’s newest debut in which his musical chops are totally evident, as well as his ability to choose pseudonyms.

Hold It Close finds Alt Altman taking accesible pop melodies and putting them in the eye of an electronic storm. There might be a little bit of Bibio in Digits, but it feels very independent nonetheless. Alt Altman uses a nice array of programmed drums, dancey synths, woozy guitar, and even some trumpet to make his tunes. Often times, Digits excels at making entrancing electronic backdrops that add depth and quality to the melodies. “Saturation” dips its toe in R&B, as does “Sarah”, giving a bit of smoothness to the electronica. “Wait It Out”, “Monster”,  and ”Nonstop” are phenomenal songs. “Wait It Out” feels like a Jose Gonzalez song inexplicably gone electronic, but the results are fantastic. It’s catchy and engaging, and it gives you good replay value. “Monster” has a great trumpet part, and there’s a little note in the rhythm of the synth that slips and bends, which is subtle but terrific. There’s also a lush breakdown, full of swirling synths, before handclaps come in and add a nice punch to the song. “Nonstop” has a lot of similar qualities to “Monster”, minus the trumpet, but it delivers a great melody, and is certainly a winning way to close out the album.

The bottom line, Alt Altman’s great name aside, this is a really good album, from start to finish. It delivers the goods as a pop album and an electronic album. It’s produced so well, as Alt Altman’s vocals seem to resonate and fill up every space available, giving it an airiness, but is never dominating. This album is worth your time, definitely worth a listen, and it’ll make Alt Altman’s day.