When the dust settles and the smoke clears, 2014 may be remembered for many things, but in my mind, it will always be the year of Phil Diamond. Dude is pumping out amazing tapes at an amazing rate, and I have no idea which one deserves the most love so don’t be surprised if this isn’t the only thing you hear about Scammers from your dear friend Strauss in the coming weeks. Cover You was once a digital-only affair until the good people of Field Hymns found it worthy of physical release, so here in my hand I hold the true confessions of Phil “Cubic Zirconia” Diamond — his testimonial, an admission of being nothing more than a loser working for minimum wage + tips in a coffee shop, constantly nursing a hangover headache, all to the rhythm of a beat fit for the spangle of Vegas. Truly inspiring self-deprecation at work as that velvety baritone navigates its host body’s inner-psyche, trying to figure out why it poisons itself with stuff like nicotine and alcohol and thoughts about girls who will never have sex with it. And that eternal doubt is endearing and wonderful and just plain human, which is why you’ll pay attention, but the best part is how none it gets in the way of just how goddamn slammin’ the synth riffs are. Ten ton melodies made weightless when pitted against the bounce of an unstoppable four-on-the-floor like “30 & Smokin,” and if your feet and/or booty can resist it, then those things are attached to a dead body (by the way, you might want to get that checked out). But it’s the two-step piano-driven title track that’s the real show-stopper, where word and tone come together in a double-helix of powerful pop-art portraiture. Cover You’s only crime is that it’s just not long enough, which brings us to the three other tapes he’s got out this year. (to be continued…….?)
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