Paul Feder
Nightwalk
(Aion Records)

Opening with a danceable snapping beat and some bleeping keys “Lose My Mind,” makes it evident that Brooklyn-based Paul Feder knows how to layer key sounds into some commercial pop synth confections. He even throws in a breathy end to the tune, changing up the full dance nature of the song just a smidgen.

“Nightwalk,” Feder’s new EP title track follows, heavy on effected vocal and a beat that you can’t much tap your foot to; it more blips and trickles around you. Still, it’s an effective tune; even if the arpeggiated key line here kind of gets away with itself.

Once again, Feder manages a slowing down of the kinetic beat and excising some instruments to leave the listener with a quieter end.

“Tooth and Heart” features what might be the most unaffected vocal here (at least for a good part of the tune), which I appreciate. The drums and the melody certainly skirt a very commercial 80’s vibe, but once again, Feder has penned a solid little ditty of this genre. When he does once again run his vocal through a filter, he doesn’t overstay the effect, and the beat keeps up.

“In Floodlights,” the last song on Nightwalk, sounds like we are inside a video game with its arpeggiated high-timbre tuned keys percussion and Feder choosing to disguise his vocal the most he probably does on any of these five. Still, it’s a cool semi-anthemic ender; I can just see people cavorting to it on a sweaty club’s dancefloor.