Johnathan|Christian - the nothing i feel

Johnathan|Christian is the team up of Johnathan Mooney (The New Creatures) and Christian Granquist (The Atom). Their influences lie within the realms of darkwave legends such as Siouxsie & The Banshees and the Cure, and mix in Orchestral rock compositions. With their album "the nothing i feel" just recently released, this is the first time I'm checking out this duo. And, while I appreciate what they're attempting to do, I have complaints about the album.

Christian Granquist, who is in charge of vocal and lyrical duties, does not have the dream chords or voice to crack down on this genre of music. Where others have dutifully sung their spirits out to the world setting one mood or the other, the unbalanced squawking of Granquist is moderate at best. His voice his somewhat strained and growled out, which doesn't make sense against the comforting and soothing sounds that the album has to offer, especially when 'Independence' plays out. The piano ballad plays blissfully, with a slight electronic beat going across it, but Granquist's gruff voice just cannot match the beauty of it. Perhaps if this duo was going for an EBM or even harder rock feel his voice would do well, but right now he needs to work on it and change it up one way or another. 

On the other hand, Johnathan Mooney takes full charge of orchestration and composition. Aside from butchering "Goodbye Horses", Mooney really doesn't do that bad of a job on any of the songs. However, to really say that any of the tracks on the album have a unique flair about them would be a stretch. Their influences lie within the great darkwave acts of yesterday, but what they're doing has pretty much been done already by so many before them. If you're going to head into a field that's been explored so much, then you really need to come forth with songs and ideas that are fresh and fulfilling. I'm not saying that the songs, musically, are bad. I'm saying that they need more to stand out in this field. 

That's not to say that there aren't a few hidden charmers on the album. The slow and melancholic 'Forgotten' with violin-like sounds playing in the background was pretty good. Citing 'Independence' once more, the piano based track was fairly well done. Then again, I am a sucker for piano work, so that might be why. Oh, and En Esch's undoubtedly smooth mix for 'The Pink & The Black' actually kind of proved my point with Granquist's vocals. He sounds much, much more natural on this electro based song. The gruffer voice moved with the beat, and the harder rhythm provided the exact style of music his voice goes well with. 

In all fairness, Johnathan|Christian needs some work. Again, I'm not going to sit here and say that these two are terrible at producing music at all. Both have their skills and talents, but they need to utilize them more. To repeat, Granquist needs a new makeover for his voice; if he wants to fit in with emotional, chilling sounds, then he needs to not sound like he's partaking in a darker outfit where rougher chords are necessary. Mooney, on the other hand, while skilled in the music he makes, needs to really shine his brightest when composing music under this flag. The darkwave and rock fields have been explored thoroughly ever since they were introduced, and new acts diving into this field need to have a reason for their name to get out there. Until then, I do wish them the best of luck. They have potential, but they need to use it right. 
Oct 05 2015