Philip B. Price, “Oceans Hiding In Oceans” (Signature Sounds)
The title is apt. Pandemic lockdown transformed Winterpills frontman Philip B. Price into a one-man band on “Oceans Hiding In Oceans,” and yet there’s impressive depth and variety to the sea of sound he generates.
Price played all the instruments at his home studio in Massachusetts, including keyboards, synthesizers, drums and guitars, both electric and acoustic. He also sang all vocals, and the 11 tunes wisely spotlight his arresting tenor, which is handsome at either end of his register, as octave intervals show.
Price’s sources of pop inspiration span decades and genres. “First Hail” could be a British folk relic, while “Me and the Stars” rides atop gurgling synths. “Paleflower” combines guitar riffs with handclaps, the percolating “Little Bell” pauses for turntable scratching and the druggy “Forever Vines” recalls a bad trip involving a disgraced Florida golfer. It’s all especially entertaining through headphones.
From isolation Price sings about deceit, delusion and disconnection, but also devotion and discovery, with the ocean a metaphor for our brain and the world. “We were left alone, on the edge of finding out,” he sings. That sounds right.
