They say don’t judge a book by it’s cover but, for better or worse, sometimes first appearances aren’t entirely inaccurate. My first introduction to Creamer was a segment of the variety show Network77 in which a stereotyped German MC introduced the band amongst a swirl of psychedelic colors and bygone era green screen effects. That video, for the track “Drugs No More”, now serves as the songs official video. Frontman Philip Creamer’s appearance, complete with long hair topped with fringe, outlandish jacket and multiple rings stood out as a real look. However, whatever superficial judgments were cast his way were immediately thrown out the window due to the overwhelmingly impressive vocal performance.
The debut, self-titled, full-length Creamer is clearly influenced by 60’s and 70’s era bands, with Queen being the clear front runner for “No Shit” comparisons but that should only be the start of the conversation. The album may be influenced by that familiar sound but it manages to delicately skirt the line of being a superficial aping. Creamers vocals vary between intimately delicate, optimistically soaring and painfully forelorn, augmented by layers of tasteful choral backing vocals and musical details that require multiple listens to be fully appreciated.
It would be disingenuous to omit the references – both visually and aurally – to Classic Rock era bands but the comparison also undermines the enjoyment of the record. This is an expertly crafted, warmly familiar and often catchy-as-fuck collection of songs that should be put into regular rotation. If someone asks what year it was released, that’s just confirmation that the songs are timeless.