Sometimes being great isn’t about reinventing the wheel or exploring uncharted territory. Sometimes it’s just picking up an acoustic guitar and being better than everyone around you. To give Postdata (aka Paul Murphy) a peer, look at the success of Bon Iver. Outside of Auto-Tune, Bon Iver brought nothing to the folk genre that hadn’t already been done in a similar format. Why, then, do Bon Iver consistently receive critical accolades and continue to draw crowds? Because they’re that good, that’s why. Bon Iver and Postdata’s genre is the bare essentials of pop music, and with no buffer zone to soften the blows, bands like them will either sink or swim. Bon Iver are swimming along pleasantly, and whether or not Postdata are getting as much attention, they should be doggy paddling alongside Bon Iver, being perfectly simple and simply great.

Postdata focus more on melodies than Bon Iver, who play up the atmosphere around the vocals and music. Murphy does summon up some atmosphere of his own, with light synth operating in the background, although without the wintery soundscapes. Murphy prefers his music to be the soundtrack to a lonely midnight rather than a desolate cabin covered in snow, and he excels at it. Murphy lays down a foundation using antique guitar strums, finger picks, and the power of his voice while he places ethereal tones in corners around the music. That all sounds nice and it does work very well, but those arrangements could be pulled off by a standard issue folk musician. It’s Murphy’s amazing ear for melody that transcends what most folk artists could do. There’s nothing grandiose or overdone. Murphy uses earthy, sweet hooks that don’t seem all that impressive until you realize three-quarters of the way through a song that he’s totally owned it in a very special way.

There are no filler or weak tracks on Postdata’s self-titled debut. Nine straight wonderful folk songs are a testament to Murphy’s command as a songwriter and musician. All of this takes place in an ADD-friendly twenty-seven minutes, short enough to keep people like me soaking in more of the album.

“In Chemicals” is a passionate ballad that unearths an organ-synth midway through as Murphy rips through a terrific chorus. In almost every song one can hear subtle sounds creeping around the solidified guitar riffs and adding a pretty new wrinkle to the music. In the fantastic “Paranoid Clusters” it’s a muted piano alongside of a weaving fingerpicked guitar riff, intensifying as Murphy ups his vocals, until a chorus of voices joins him. “Eclipse” is a quiet, spaced-out gem that climaxes with Murphy pleading the question, “Are you in outer-space?” to a sick loved one. Perhaps the best song on an album chock-full of greatness is “Tobias Grey.” It picks up the tempo and Murphy’s melody follows suit, cumulating in a sweetly catchy song that simply has to be heard. “Warning” continues the sickly, saddened themes that pervade the album. Murphy uses a sliding guitar riff to create the hook and his vocals play off of the slide, and another great song is in the bag. Within two songs, “Tobias Grey” gets stiff competition for the album’s best from “Drift.” A more traditional folk song, “Drift” adds the help of a banjo to form a beautiful love song, with Murphy nailing the vocal performance. Postdata don’t skimp on the closer, ending in stellar fashion with “The Coroner.” The guitar riff harnesses a strong groove while ethereal tones encompass another brilliant Murphy melody.

For those nights that seem lonely or hopeless, as cliché as it might sound, music will always be a remedy. To soundtrack those nights, Bon Iver would be a nice choice, sure, but if you’re too familiar with “Skinny Love” or “Flume,” then Postdata should suit you admirably. Postdata is extremely rewarding from beginning to end, as Murphy captivates on every melody, strum, and hook.

Track List:
1. Lazarus
2. In Chemicals
3. Tracer
4. Paranoid Clusters
5. Eclipse
6. Tobias Grey
7. Warning
8. Drift
9. The Coroner