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The High Dials, War Of The Wakening Phantoms

by Allison Carter
01/17/2008

The High Dials have captured the magic that will send anyone into a happy stupor. Their new CD, War of the Wakening Phantoms is full of songs that just make you feel good. The thing that is different about this group is their versatile sound. Just one minute of listening to their album and you’ll think you’re listening to Belle and Sebastian; the next you think you’re listening to singer from the 90’s.

From an album of 14 songs there are three that really shine.

“Winter Ghosts” can make even a sunny, 78 degree day cold. The sound of the tambourine and guitars creates the atmosphere, while the lyrics tell the story of a frosty night of searching your own mind. It leads the listener to gaze off into oblivion, wondering what happened to make their own love turn into a ghost (even if you’ve never had a love).

Another gem from the album is “Our Time Is Coming Soon.” It is a song that will most certainly be stuck in your head before any of the others. The most charming (and catchy) part of the song is when ‘our time’ is repeated over and over in the background. While listening to the song a sense of triumphant destiny is glimpsed. The end of the song is a mix of chaos that ends in cool, calm distortion.

Moving on, if you were a fan of Deep Blue Something’s vocals in the song “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” or, in fact, any 90’s band similar to them, you’ll love the song “Master of the Clouds.” It opens up with distorted guitar riffs then glides gracefully into the lyrics. There is a disguised pain in this song which only surfaces when the lyric ‘The sky has a secret, none for you’ is sung. This song leaves people in their twenties longing for the 90’s rock scene.

The High Dials is a band that deserves recognition and their album War of the Wakening Phantoms will be appealing to anyone who listens to indie music. They are a good combination of the poppiest bands in the indie scene. So if that’s your deal, search out for this album.