The Fearless Hearts is a group from North Carolina comprised of Don Moody, Frank Gordon and Dave Newton with a couple of special guests. On their debut self-titled EP The Fearless Hearts they play very straightforward American rock that is a mix of popular bands like John Mellencamp, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. The band plows through familiar tropes that the aforementioned bands established and bands have replicated ever since. Suffice it to say The Fearless Hearts isn't making the most inventive music you will hear this year but the songwriting is solid. The band also treads familiar themes like leaving town, leaving someone, love, etc. that are about as familiar as Grandma's apple pie.
The production and recording quality is decent but could certainly use some improvement and consistency. There are some notable differences between production values on different songs. Take for example “Comes A Time” which if it had a more defined low end would sound close to a commercial quality song while “It Ain't Me” is a couple of dbs lower in volume and sounds closer to a demo. Although the songs were bursting with influence they were delivered with precision. The band is tight and I thought the performances were top notch. I have no complaints here and really enjoyed the inflection of the vocals. The band starts with “Pounding Heart” which is about as American sounding as you can get. It’s catchy, very predictable but good fun. They have some more success with “Comes A Time” and although “Hard To Love” needed to have instrumentation louder in the mix I enjoyed the soulful performance. Don’t get me wrong this band has some talent and will be throughly enjoyed at bars and festivals. As soon as that person who was a Tom Petty fan since he was twelve hears this music as he is sipping on his beer he will take notice. He will enjoy the heck out of this music while this is being played live but it might sound too familiar to see a reason why to play this music as opposed to the old classics. My point is that I have no doubt this band can have a lot of local success and get a following to come see them play. If the band has larger goals and wants to reach a national or international audience I think it would behoove them to figure out how to infuse a little more of their own signature sound into the overt Americana style that is familiar to most of the population. It may not be too hard. I’m thinking bagpipes. Kidding aside something a little off-kilter may make them stand out from the crowd. Overall, this is a solid debut which shows some innate talent and builds a foundation. I look forward to hearing the band's evolution.
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Owen Sartori has thirty years experience as a musician. He has an impressive resume and has released a good amount of music but is also a teacher according to his website. He makes pop music for the most part but I’m not entirely sure I understand what he is going for on his release Nobody Gives a Damn. He paints different moods throughout this album in terms of style and theme. Take for instance ”Dublin Sky” which is a meditative, contemplative song about our place in the cosmos. You have that and then you have a song like “Cool” which is very tongue-in-cheek bathing in levity due in part to things like a kazoo part and him mentioning that it's not too bright to lose a sex tape.
Outside of the lyrics the songs have a pretty distinct feel and often feel like separate Islands. “Nobody Gives A Damn” is a hard-hitting rock in the spirit of Queens of The Stone Age or Foo Fighters. A song like “Make Me Your President” has a distinctly different feel. It’s very atmospheric and ethereal and goes into pretty epic territory. “Let it Go” is a rock song with forward moving momentum while “Come Back” is a classic love ballad. Sartori is a hard one to place in a lot of ways. His music definitely does not feel destined for the underground yet I am not exactly sure if it melds with contemporary mainstream music either. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. I’d say the individual songs work better as singles than anything else. There is no denying that the songs are well-crafted and Sartori has talent. That's not the question. The question I found myself asking is what is his signature sound. After listening to the album a couple of times I felt it was hard to find the cohesive aspects in all the songs that would help me recognize his style. “At Best, This Will End in Complete Disaster” is an instrumental ambient, atmospheric song that is in no way indicative of the very next song “Cool.” With that in mind I could see people finding the songs they prefer rather than hitting play and letting the album ride. That's at least what I found myself wanting to do. As far as the production and delivery goes I thought it was top notch. Sartori has a versatile singing style but it is ultimately palatable on the ears. The guitar playing is great along with the other instrumentation. If you don’t mind a scattered album that has a couple of gems than go for it. Different songs will appeal for different reasons and that's a fact. Recommended.
Alice Copper, Marilyn Manson, Kiss. All of these performers are theatrical and they bring more than just music to the table. Even though these artists bring a tinge of darkness it always felt like fun to me. Shadowman consisting of Frank Raducz Jr (vocals/guitar), Zach Kanner (bass) and Dan Ogrodnik (drums) is of a similar strain.
I was reading about the band and came across the line “It is like a mixture of Tom Waits meeting Marilyn Manson.” That line more or less paints an accurate picture of their music on their four-song EP Art of Prophecy. The EP opens with “Crossroad Deal.” It has a beat that sounds like it came from the group Sleigh Bells mixed with repeated gospel sounding vocals. Once the lead vocals come in you can’t ignore them. Raducz sounds like a comic book villain. His vocals are extremely hyperbolic and whimsical at the same time. His vocals change a little bit on “Goddess” where he sounds like a cartoonishly evil Tom Waits. The music is more subdued and has a lot less intensity than the opener. There is a rickety, rustic backwoods Mississippi Delta Blues vibe to the music. Up next is “Little Devil” that has more of an arena Kid Rock southern feel. The next song “Spanish Gold” is another deviation that sounds so different compared to the other style of music. His vocals are a lot more straightforward and the music sounds much more like a live indie band than anything else on the album. From these four songs I think a little bit of direction might be needed going forward. I left the EP feeling slightly confused about their sound and what they were trying to accomplish. There are some similar themes going on but some of the songs felt pretty far apart. Overall, I like the ideas and I think the execution could use a bit of tweaking. I hope to hear more soon and I am looking forward to how this pans out on their album.
Kristian Marstal is a Danish based artist who just released his fourth album entitled PROZESS. Not unlike his previous efforts the album was based on mostly improvisation. Over the course of four days he recorded the ten songs on the album.
For better or worse two signals were recorded from speakers which give the sense of a live recording. You can hear the room and also notice the diminished sound quality of the frequencies. With music this experimental it's all about subjectivity. I personally feel this music does need to be recorded live. HIs music is thematic and atmospheric and relies on hi-fidelity to be fully appreciated. On that note his music feels just about perfect for a horror movie. I feel that point is indisputable. I was watching the movie “It Follows” and the music plays such a huge part in creating the tension in the scenes. Try watching a horror movie with the sound off. It's not nearly as scary. In general the music on PROZESS has an ominous tone to it that instills apprehension and could work in a similar tension-filled movie. Take for instance the opener “Overture” which slowly rises. It initially sounds like a cold air vent pumping air through an old factory. As the atonal song progresses it starts to sound as if a demonic force was being pushed through the vents alongside the air. “Time Regained” sounds like a washing machine combined with a synth while “Young Man” combines dripping drops of water, a vacuum of hollow air and synths that lie very low in the mix. ‘Knights of Faith” is just terrifying and could easily be used for the part where the demon is approaching the protagonist. One of the standout tracks was “Superhuman.” The song contains dense organ and tremolo like effects which combine to give us some of the fullest sounds of the album. I also enjoyed the ethereal closer “Undefined Love.” Marstal has a lot of talent especially for creating music that sets mood. I hope to see his name in the credits of the next horror movie I see.
Galactic Wanderer is the solo project for Harley Broughton. Life's Journey was his first album which came out last year and he recently released Falling into Oblivion. It’s a completely instrumental album veering towards prog rock. According to Broughton, “The album is not concept as a whole, but songs seven through nine are connected by a story of a man who is trapped in a satellite that is flying uncontrollably into a black hole.”
There are some differences between his first album and Falling into Oblivion. The production quality has improved and there are more ethereal, atmospheric moments scattered throughout the album. There are a number of “epic” songs here in terms of length and ambition. I think it's fair to put the first song “Perfect Confusion” in that category. There are a copious amount of changes in the nine-plus-minutes which come in the form of lead guitar, crunchy bass and complex drum patterns. The prog rock elements are evident and comparisons to bands like Yes and Rush are certainly notable. Let’s just say if you are a fan of the genre you will appreciate what is here. Besides the prog rock elements there are more ethereal textures and tones the you might find in an album from Pink Floyd or Radiohead. There are heavy hall reverbs in use as you can hear on “Riding a Solar Flare” which is one of the more serene and cosmic sounding songs on the albums. “Dark Circles” takes you back down to earth with a heavier progression and distortion while “Shafts of Light” sounds as if it has some kind of wind instrument taking the lead. I thought a personal highlight was “Ebony.” The song had a Mike Oldfield type vibe I enjoyed and a climbing energy that reaches a couple of impressive peaks. As the album progresses the last three songs lightly play into the aforementioned theme. He plays some very brief monologue. There is really no way to tell how the story ends and it is completely ambiguous since there are so few words to guide you. Broughton is for a niche audience. Prog rock had its glory but it's not exactly a popular genre like it was in the ’70s and ’80s and never maintained like classic rock. Falling into Oblivion is Broughton’s best effort to date and I hope to hear more evolution as he continues to improve as a musician.
stAlkid is a solo artist from Denver who according to this Facebook page is Roman Johnson. There aren’t many pictures of the artist and I surmise that he at least wants his appearance to remain anonymous. At the forefront of these songs on his release Quit EP are his acoustic guitar and vocals. There is a dark/tortured feel to the songs but his lyrics at times can create an odd juxtaposition. I found his lyrics to be oddly motivating at times and at other times so nihilistic that is his message is ambiguous to say the least.
Take for instance “TWIM” which revolves around a simple chord progression, a straightforward beat and some light pads. He sings, “And When the world Ends / I Hope it Ends with you and Me I want to Be the Generation to See / The earth wash herself Clean / This life is short, it hurts / Don’t Be afraid, Be Exactly/What you want to Be / These days are yours to Seize / And if you don’t / All the more for Me.” He goes on to sing about how his job sucks and how he did drugs and had sex with women and closes it up with saying how nothing matters. Not exactly the most poetic words in the world but it works. The juxtaposition of everything is complete shit but “do something” is also apparent on the opening track “The Ring.” As you dig deeper in the lyrics you sense that all of this is coming from a lonely, isolating place. Again and again he reinforces themes that he doesn’t need anybody with a feeling of indignation and sadness behind. On “Quit” the ways he delivers the lines “I don’t need help from you / I can do this myself / I’m self-reliant” make you feel like the exact opposite. It sounds like a call for help from whoever he is speaking through. “All My Friends Are Dead” is perhaps the most depressing title I have heard in recent memory. The song is sparse and contains one of his best vocal performances. There is a bit of Elliott Smith-esque vibe going on with this relatively short song. “A Curse, for Enemies” is just dark all around. Really dark. So much so it negates any kind of light that he was shining on the album. The song seems to imply themes of murder, vengeance and vitriol. Quit EP doesn’t contain music that most people will listen to on a Friday or use to relax. It’s got a time and a place. After spending time with it the music doesn’'t feel just like melancholy. There is an overt feeling of despair and pain that seeps its way in.
There are some album out there which have distinct focus on a particular subject. One of those albums is Wrapped In Plastic by the Dizzy. According to the band their album “full of old Hollywood romance tropes and dysfunctional love, which are thrown into sharp relief upon further analysis and extended listening”. They point out throughout the album that the romance depicted in movies would not correlate into a functional relationship in the real world.
Wrapped In Plastic has very theatrical feel to it as if they music could be accompanied by a broadway play. This is due in part to sometimes hyperbolic vocal delivers, the use of vocals harmonies and the heavy use of piano. The band opens with “Hollywood Tide (Introduction)” which is truly an intro not a guitar riff. Between the drums, vocals and ominous sounding pads I got the feeling I was in the video game Bioshock. If you ever played that game I think you will know what I’m talking about. The album gets more upbeat after the intro. “Di Di Mau!” is a good indicator of the loose, theatrical feel the rest of the album holds in store for you. The instrumentation is good but the vocal work is exceptional. I was wondering how many singers they actually had. Either way I really enjoyed this track. Up next is “Confused as Hell” which is piano bar style romp mixed with Mick Jagger-esque style vocals. The mix of sounds was unique and playful sounding. “First Comes Love” is a another fun romp with animated vocals that constantly change with inflection and delivery. “Grab Your Stuff” is a lighthearted song about escaping trouble while “My Lover's Ritual” has a number of funny lines in it. Wrapped In Plastic seems like it's going to be enjoyed by a niche audience which I can say in this day and age is a good thing. For instance, if you are one who enjoys show tunes this will be your new favorite album. This is an enjoyable album that you don’t hear everyday and obviously took a lot of attention to detail. Recommended.
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Dave Vargo is a veteran studio and touring musician. His resume is extremely impressive including backing Whitney Houston, Phoebe Snow and Vonda Shepard to name a few. He also went to school for music. This is a case of a guy who lives, eats and breathes music.
His recent release Burning Through is an extremely polished album with good songwriting. That being said he cradles all the tropes and familiarities we have heard so many times before in pop and rock. Some people like that and I actually do myself to some extent. It sometimes works very well and a good song is a good song. The songs feel broad and influenced from everything from John Cougar Mellencamp to ’90s rock. I wanted a little more experimentation and out of the box thinking on this album. It would have been nice to hear Vargo get out of his comfort zone. The songs felt a bit safe and that very well may be what Vargo wants but with that comes the risk of your music getting lost into the ether of an oversaturated market. I thought Vargo has a great voice and it was best showcased on the more melancholy songs. The first song that really stuck out to me was “Wishing On A Star.” The song has some exceptional guitar playing and Vargo nails the vocal delivery. He also pulls off upbeat and hopeful with “Finding My Way To You” which is such a commercially viable song because of the production. “Too Young to be Broken” was similar to “Wishing On A Star” in that it was sparse and melancholy. This is again where I felt most connected to his music. As the album progressed “Waiting” and “Pieces of My Heart” were the other highlights to my ears. Vargo really does have a lot of talent as a musician. That's undeniable. At the end of the day this is still rock/pop music with more of a mainstream appeal. So if that's your cup of tea then this will be an album you won't want to miss.
Please Don't Feed The Band from Cyrenaics is their most cohesive album to date. The band delivers nine songs which have a lo-fi off-kilter 50’s pop feel them. Sometimes the band gets into experimental territory but it’s not too often.
They open with “King's Mistress”. It’s a pretty catchy song overall. My only minor issue is the singer is sometimes flat. The guitars sometimes get dissonant which works with the song. Up next is “lonely Friday Night” which feeds more into a 50’s teen angel type sound. The singing is a little more on point on this track and thought it was arguably one of the best songs they've written. “Spring Forward” has a serene, loungey vibe to it. It comes from every element in the song. The guitars are smooth with reverb, the drumming feels light and the vocalist seems to be on the verge of slurring his works together. “Have You Ever Been Cursed?” is the centerpiece of the album which goes on for over nine minutes. The song was solid but didn’t really know why the band decided that long of length time was justified. The interlude is one off experimentation. “Ill Gotten Wealth” utilizes vocals snippets from a movie or tv show. The song is one of the more out there on the album but works. “Until The End of Night” sounds a lot like that title while “In Your Ears Ring The Bells of 1000 Carousels” is a sparse closer revolving around guitar and vocals. The Cyrenaics are definitely making some improvements and evolving. They are getting more established and the chemistry is clicking. I still want to hear their music from a professional studio at some point but Please Don't Feed The Band is a step in the right direction.
In so many ways punk rock is the most freeing genre of music one can play. The chords are easy and drum beats are rather straightforward and simple and the amped up intensity and anthemic thematics and schematics make it both fun to listen to and to play. Then of course there is the matter of what stance one takes as a band as far as songwriting is concerned. Are you political? Satirical? A little of both? For with punk rock comes great responsibility and one must choose a side and choose wisely for this angle will be their calling card for as long as they remain a band, and if they begin to deviate from said side the consequences from fans can be quite detrimental.
However there are exceptions to this rule and the multi-lingual San Marcos Texas quartet Mon Freres Amigos take the high energy side of punk, mix in a bit a humor (if that’s not already clearly evident by their name) and then infect the whole thing with a bit of Texas alt-country charm. The result of all this effort is the three song EP Whistle Stop a short and sweet, high energy release that seems to see them getting closer to their self-described sound of "CBGB's meets the Grand Ole Opry," and their first foray back to fight the good fight since their 2015 full length debut Evil Company. Mon Freres Amigos hook the listener from the outset with “Whistle Stop” with high energy alt country rock guitars, and cymbal crash heavy drums. As I listened I heard an echo of an older generation of satirical twangy rockers, both from Graeme Mullen’s grainy vocals and penchant for funny and biting lyrics, and after a time racking my brain aligned it with Camper Van Beethoven’s classic “Take the Skinheads Bowling.” I found it even more apparent on “Holiday Inn” a twangy sing-song tune that comes complete with beautiful vocal harmonies and bitingly funny social commentary, not to mention a few delicious hooks. Listening to the three songs on Whistle Stop reminded me of the power of punk rock music, and its amoebic versatility. It also reminded me that not all music has to be over the top and intensely serious to mean something. Part of the delight of listening to this record, for me and for others I can imagine, is to bob your head along to the hooks, crack a smile at the funny parts, and just enjoy the music.
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April 2024
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