Accidental Martyr is a project of Richard Coutts from High River, Alberta. He recently released a self-titled album Accidental Martyr. He mentions, “having played for many years in a variety of genres (rock, pop, blues, jazz, folk etc.), I decided to stay true to my experiences as opposed to trying to chase trends.” That’s very good advice in my opinion and I agree being a musician myself and approaching forty. It always felt silly to me to try and replicate what a much younger generation might be doing.
On that note the music on Accidental Martyr doesn't sound dated to my ear. There are some great songs on this album along with some inventive production. The album starts off rock heavy with “Crash And Burn.” This song has the attitude I usually think of first when referring to rock. It’s meant to be experienced live with an anthemic chorus. All things considered this is a pretty straightforward albeit really well done and implemented. “Sucker Punch” is certainly one of the highlights if not the best song on the album. This song combines upright bass, what at least sounds like harpsichord but might be acoustic guitar with much more. The song is explosive and a blast but also off kilter in a good way. David Bowie came to mind at points on this song. “For The Birds” melds electronic and organic elements. He even implements the auto-tuned vocal effect but doesn't over do it. This song felt quite contemporary to my ears. I thought the slick acoustic guitar work mixed with the somewhat jarring distorted guitar created an interesting dichotomy. There are plenty of other styles including “Half Way Gone” which was one of my favorites which combined folk and country influences. I loved the emotive vocal performance on this song.”Idle Brigade” provides empowering rock and a great Americana style chorus that is one of the most memorable on the album. The slick and kind of lounge-y ’70s vibe on “Odd Man Out” worked as well. You even get some blues on “Wicked Ways”. He ends epically with a Pink Floyd style on “Last Star In The Sky.” There are definitely a lot of styles that he attempts here. So much so it was hard to find a signature sound and a flow to the album. On that note, he really does justice to the genres. There are some great songs here and he really doesn't miss a beat. This is very diverse but well executed album. Take a listen.
1 Comment
Joe Wachsmuth
10/1/2019 03:13:31 pm
I really enjoyed this album.
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