Jeff Chochinov (bass), Tyler Dang (guitar), Ezi Margolis (vocals/guitar) and Noah Chochinov (drums) are the members of Free Morgan. The band members who are all in their early twenties mark their influences “from The Chili Peppers to Jimi Hendrix” and you can hear that on their three- song demo entitled Will You Be Around.
The band plays a diverse array of straightforward rock that did in a lot of ways remind me of Jimi Hendrix, Red Hot Chili Peppers but other bands as well. It's the type of ubiquitous sound you might hear at a local festival that people of almost all ages could appreciate. The band opens with “Enemy Lines” which has more of a singer/songwriter type of vibe. I can say the band was in the pocket and I enjoyed the vocals right off the bat. The song is also well structured introducing dynamics into the mix quickly. Once the song hits the minute-and-a-half mark they start to rock a little harder and the song gets more of a ’70s classic rock flavor. The drummer starts to build and by two-and-a-half minutes you are greeted with a guitar solo. That mix of Jimi Hendrix and Red Hot Chili Peppers is most evident on “Thelonious Funk.” The song is obviously funky but I also appreciated the atmospheric, ambient part that they place in the song as well. The topic seems to be about a late night rendezvous. Margolis sings, “Hey how you doin' ya / I’m feeling quite alright / Give it a few long days / I’m gonna make you mine / That dark red lipstick has got me in a craze / Been one hot minute but it felt like 90 days.” They close with “Last Chance” which actually reminded me of Dave Matthews Band at times. It's well structured and felt like the most emotionally resonant song in the batch. The styles of the three songs felt a bit scattered and I had a hard time finding a foundation. I think that is the aspect they will need to consider as they evolve which is how to create a signature sound which feels singular. That being said the band has their stuff together. The delivery was constantly good and the songs were well written. I think this is just the beginning and I hope to hear more.
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Jeff Krause plays music rooted in the tradition of classic Americana & folk storytelling. On his exceptional EP Naked & Hardhearted he doesn't seem to be stuck trying to reinvent a genre that is almost as old as the hills themselves. On that note Naked & Hardhearted contains all the things I hope to hear when listening to Americana and folk.
Krause has a voice that simultaneously conveys emotions like melancholy and hope. The songs are relatively sparse however a diverse array of instrumentation like dobro, fiddle, harmonica, bass and guitar are scattered throughout the EP. There is also the production/recording quality which takes you all of five seconds to realize is professionally treated that enhances the top notch songwriting. The EP starts with “Would it Be Alright” which revolves around guitar, bass and fiddle. There is an array of emotion between the fiddle which provides melancholy, warmth and reflection that juxtaposes against the more vibrant and kinetic guitar chords. Krause’s vocals are occasionally layered with harmonies when it’s appropriate. Overall it’s a fairly lively song. “Chasing Dreams” is certainly a little more pensive and melancholy. The song seems to tread on a familiar topic that has been sung about plenty of times before. It seems to essentially be about someone leaving the town they grew up in to chase their dreams. “Nobody Else in the Room” is a heart wrenching song and to be honest the lyrics wouldn't even matter because the delivery is so emotionally resonant. You are treated to harmonica. The energy picks up with a highlight entitled “Trying to Forget You.” It’s a catchy song that is also the most danceable track. I could imagine this being played in a local pub that originally opened its doors seventy plus years ago and prefers live music over a digital jukebox. Krause has a soulful vocal performance on “Ghost of a Man” which seems to be about alcoholism or more broadly about someone who is despondent. He closes with “Carry Your Memory” which featured some fantastic string work and memorable melodies. If you you only dabble within the folk/Americana genre I feel like this EP is essential listening. Highly recommended.
I could kick myself for having never seen Corn On My Dinner Plate live considering they're here in Chicago and they've been making the rounds at small venues. The band has been together since they were sophomores in high school and dropped their first EP when they were seniors. Now they're releasing their latest album Corn For Two. The group has nurtured a feel good sound composed of funk, indie rock and jazzy pop. The album coming out now is perfect timing as the weather, eventually, should be getting warmer. The six tracks are the perfect soundtrack for good times on the beach at Lake Michigan.
The band put a focus on cohesion by playing with a limited palette of harmonies but adjusting tempos and moods. This is ideal for the amount of tracks and really gives the group a signature sound I could pick out of a crowd. They keep things very relaxed and groovy, but there's enough movement in the music that it's never sleepy. They use their drums to their benefit to keep my head bobbing and my feet tapping. I also love when the vocalists hang back and let their amazing guitar skills do the talking. There is no shortage of utterly awesome mellow guitar solos to untie all the knots in your muscles and make you feel completely copacetic. On top of all that the good musical talent is supported by nice lyrics that are dreamy and aloof. The words all seem to come from far away with the way in which they are delivered by the vocalists. I appreciate the treatment the vocals got, but part of me longed to hear the voices get a little closer and more intimate at times. I think a little bit more diversity in what the vocals could have been would have been a good thing. However this was all part of their cohesive plan with that limited palette, which overall worked like a charm. The production for Corn For Two was a mixture of two different studios, and that's something i would not have guessed. Again, a huge selling point for the album is cohesion. There were two separate recording sessions. One was with Dorian Gehring of Foxhall Studio in Logan Square in Chicago. The other was with an engineer at Gravity Studios. I'd say the mixing and mastering is worthy of high marks. There were certain points where the music was a little more low-fi and I would have preferred a less distant approach, but overall, the music was treated in a way that made it light and accessible. You could tell there was a leaning to use tricks associated with pop, but they didn't limit themselves to that. There were lots of indie rock techniques applied as well. Corn For Two is a solid buy for me, and I know I'm not alone. This is one of those bands that I sense I'll get to say "I knew about those guys before they were cool," because let's be honest, who doesn't love saying that? I hope Corn On My Dinner Plate continue to make more albums, and I hope I can catch them live as soon as possible.
Paradise Outlaw is a five-piece band comprised of Kevin Langeland (guitar), Kyle Gifford (guitar), Nathan Vredeveld (drums), Colin Tobin (vocals) and John Johnson (bass). They released a self-titled album Paradise Outlaw back in 2016 which hits the Americana southern rock vibe so on the nose it can’t possibly be interpreted as anything else. The band says it best themselves. “The sounds of Skynyrd, Seger, Mellencamp, Black Crowes, etc. mix together to give it what most call a heartland rock or southern rock sound.”
The album starts out with a lyric that is so familiar and really defines a lot of southern Americana rock. Tobin sings, “I once knew a girl / she looked so fine / she drive me out of mind / every time she walks by.” Tobin also has the inflection down to a t which sounds like a homage to singers like Mellencamp and Van Zant. The song delivers and is extremely well performed and written. The band continues with songs that sound like Americana classics from an alternative universe. I felt like I was familiar with the songs while I was hearing them for the first time. “Haunted Heart” is pretty epic in scope while “Six Feet Down” is a backyard BBQ type of song that is fun and catchy. I will say that while the songs all have a similar vibe they do a great job mixing up the energy and style. “Dreams” has a heartfelt, soaring vocal performance while “Friday 1974” is a feel good summer jam that you will want to listen to with the windows down. Another highlight was “Wastin’ the Day” which has a piano bar feel to it. They close with the more nostalgic and reflective “Westbound.” There were zero surprises along the way with this album. No attempts at integrating rap or EDM and unnecessary production tricks. The band is about as pure as you can get when it comes to the style they play. Suffice it to say if you enjoy any of the aforementioned bands you will also love Paradise Outlaw.
Tyson Ray Borsboom is just getting started writing songs. He started in 2015 writing originals. In songwriting that's the embryonic stage of your development. I remember starting to write songs at the age of fourteen and didn’t consider myself a decent songwriter until ten years later after I graduated with a degree in composition. It was another ten years after that when I felt my best songs were forming.
Borsboom seems a little farther along than I was three years in and I felt like his release SINNER provided a solid foundation while also showcasing potential. SINNER at its core revolves around guitar and vocals. The guitar work was for the most part was rudimentary revolving around mostly strummed chord progressions of major and minor chords which is by no means a bad thing. I wasn’t dazzled by the guitar work but it mostly felt like it was there to support his vocals. I can say it was effective and easy to appreciate. I think Borsboom has a great voice. It's deep, dynamic, and full of emotion. My one issue is that I did have trouble making out some of the lyrics. Some of the songs are fine but other times I really had to concentrate to make out what was being said because it sounded like the words were running together. The album opens with “AINT RIGHT” which starts off melancholy and gets more hopeful as it progresses This was one of the songs I was having a hard tIme making out the words. It’s a lovely melody besides that and I liked the subtle shifts in energy. I really was on board with the energy of “FOUR YEARS.” There is a lot of it and Borsboom’s songwriting is at its best here. This song could have easily had a whole band supporting it. The next song that got my attention was the title track which was emotionally resonant and heartfelt. “CAROLINE” was the one song where he picks the guitar. The pattern is sweet and subtle and displays he has more tools in his arsenal. He has some more success with the closer “LINE OF SIGHT.” Tyson Ray Borsboom seems like the real deal to me. I do have a feeling he will just be getting better as he refines his craft but this is a good way to make an introduction. Recommended
Lazy Twitch is the solo project of Brennan Graeve who is a young artist from Cedar Rapids, IA. He released a three-song demo EP entitled I’m Not Satisfied. It’s a lo-fi bedroom demo where he mentions Car Seat Headrest, Modest Mouse and My Morning Jacket as influences. Out of those the one that was noticeable before reading about it was Car Seat Headrest. The topics (depression, youth), the vocals to some extent and the songwriting all reminded me of Car Seat Headrest at least subtlety. In fact the way “Youthful Denial” starts reminded me of “Beach Life-In Death” in the way he lights a cig before aggressively strumming power chords.
“Youthful Denial” is a pretty catchy song which works because of the catchy vocal melodies. The music itself consists of a couple of jangly power chords and that’s really about it. I can't say there was anything very mind blowing happening within the music but the song was well written and had memorable vocal melodies. Up next is “Sulfur & Gold” where he adds percussion elements and the guitar is slightly more advanced than the first song. The strong point again are his abilities to write a hook and catchy melody which I would argue is more important. I thought the chorus worked well and the song didn’t have any extra fat on it. Up last is “A Eulogy of Sorts” which was another solid song. It’s catchy, contains some alien-sounding synths and is over in a flash. As an engineer I struggled with how lo-fi this demo was. I couldn’t make out most of the lyrics and the instruments sounded like they were recorded in a different room or far away. In this day and age even having one mic and cheap interface can producer decent results. I encourage Graeve to learn some more of the basics on recording and mixing techniques which I think would bring out the potential of the songs a little bit more. As a songwriter and vocalist I was impressed by what I heard and I have a feeling he is a young guy just getting started on his musical path. As of right now the songs provide a foundation but fall into a case of wait and see. I liked what I heard and I hope to hear more in the not too distant future. Keep your ears on him.
Sometimes doing things on the cheap is a plus and the product produced comes out really good – dare I say, revolutionary. Maybe not to those who like well produced, tight and squeaky-clean album recordings, but for me there was something I instantly liked about Andrew K Jones’ approach to recording. Even though he calls himself a “lazy bastard” I would say that title has an advantage. The low-fi sound on his debut album Repair (that’s been in the making for several years, ok, a decade), has a charm and honesty that I think is sorely lacking in today’s mainstream music. All seven of the songs from the Philadelphia based musician are quite short – only two barely go over three minutes – but enough of what Jones plays is so richly textured and his song arrangements so interesting, that I think you’ll really enjoy his music.
“Everywhere” has a great beat with echoing reverb on the vocals and muddy keys and drums. It’s warm and sonically moving and after listening to this song and the others, I was intrigued by Jones’ voice. Some voices come along and they’re quite dynamic and genuinely interesting; I think Jones’ voice is one of them. “Unstable” has a good rocking beat, rhyming catchy lyrics and a driving low bass beat. “Look to the Sinners” features piano and some hand clap sounds or clicks which was a nice addition. The vocals are heavily layered and again Jones’ approach to that muffled low-fi sound really shines well here. “Back and Forth” has that classic, good time rock n’ roll sound – a punkish ‘50s meets the new wave throwback sounds of the early ‘80s. This one reminded me of Dave Edmunds “I Hear You Knocking” but by far, Jones’ tune has a much faster tempo. The vocals on “You Saved Me” sounded refreshing to me like Jones tapped into something familiar from the ‘70s but with a new twist. The song has an inspirational “Sunday church gospel” feel after a drink fest the night before. Jones’ vocals are really fantastic on this tune as well. “Something Bad” is lively and energetic and lyrically it speaks to that bad feeling you get when you sense that something bad is going to happen to you or worse, something bad in the world that’s out of reach. The fuzz guitar solo really adds to the overall well done chaotic nature of the song. The last song “The Rats in the Rain” features an acoustic shuffle rhythm, muffled voice and harmonica. The warm, dry bass and warbled guitar effects in the background added a lot of mystery to this tune as well. Jones states that if you’re fans of Against Me!, Bob Mould, Gaslight Anthem or the Mountain Goats, you might be into his stuff. I for one liked what Jones put down on Repair and will look forward to whatever comes next.
Function Space is the solo project for Emilio Couchee. He released Concepts which is a nine-minute three-song EP. The EP goes by in a flash but also manages to create a solid foundation for his future work.
The music is upbeat and lays into heavy 4/4 beats that make it easy to groove to. Take for instance the dance worthy opener “The Top.” The guitar is clean, the synths are atmospheric and the vocals are well delivered. The hook comes in around the one- minute mark and I was on board. It’s a catchy, infectious song. Up next is “Falling” which begins with dark pads but quickly gets some energy with a pretty wonderful ’80s throwback type vibe. I could imagine the movie montage and those synth fills were really what did me in. The synth solo was also pretty badass. However, I think the hook felt a little too similar to the verse and I wanted a little more separation. He closes with “Reason” which is another lovely synth based track although there is some understated guitar work as well. The verse and chorus worked very well. It’s very nostalgic and I wanted to sing along with it. Concepts was a complete DIY project. My hats off to him for doing a good job with the recording and mixing. My only suggestion here would be to think about handing it off to a mastering engineer to get that additional ten percent to make the production sound really sharp. Overall, I really liked what I heard and this is a great first step for this project. He established a foundation and left me wanting to hear more. Recommended.
Steve Murphy has spent a lot of time lending his vocals and recording abilities with an indie band out of London, Ontario called Westminster Park. During his time with this band, he recorded four albums. The group has a decent amount of buzz and has even had songs and albums nominated for the Polaris Prize twice. Their music can be heard on university stations across the country. Murphy is all about music inside out. He works as a musician full time alongside another full time job. He is a self-proclaimed audiophile and apparently an avid vinyl collector. Based on his new solo album Lonesome Scrapbook, I have a sense what his collection might include, but I could also imagine there being a few surprises in there as well.
Murphy's sound is grounded in all things relating to the human condition. It is very soulful and somber, but never really a downer. There's a lightness pushing the mood up from the bottom that I think I would identify as optimism. Murphy is a very expressive and talented guitarist who utilizes the instrument like a second voice, so some of these songs ended up sounding like duets to me. He's also a damn fine vocal performer and his performance style pairs very well with his top tier lyrics. I would say Murphy is definitely one of those musicians who really can go it alone with very little need for collaborators. I also got the sense that this album had been brewing for some time. The album sounded like a very well-rounded, full developed idea. The recording process is interesting for this album as it is split in half. The first half was done by Murphy in his home using Audacity. He kept the aesthetic inviting and intimate with a very low compression method. I have to say he is quite talented with his Audacity skills, because I would not have guessed. The second half was recorded live during a podcast and the in house engineers mixed the audio. Additional mixing and mastering was done by Murphy. You can definitely tell there is a difference in setting but I actually appreciate the change in pace and sound. Again, Murphy's ability to be his own engineer adds to the fact that he is built for solo work and is genuinely good at it. Albums in this musical direction often suffer from a similar problem for me which is everything gets a little too monotone. While there was a little bit of that issue with this album, the recording process did help break that up quite a bit. Lonesome Scrapbook landed on a high note with me due to the quality of Murphy's musicianship and songwriting. The music has an easiness about it that would allow it to cast a very wide net in terms of listeners. I would say this album is best listened to in an intimate setting. The music was very good at quieting my mind and letting me enjoy his work. Overall I think it's well done and more than worth the investment.
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You may remember our critique of Piano Songs For Film by Kory Hilpmann a couple of weeks back. Hilpmann also released Whispers After Dark which focuses on more pop oriented music that merges genres like folk and alternative.
The EP opens with “Lost In Your Eyes” which is a highlight. I loved the piano and guitar work. Hilpmann reminded me of Ben Folds Five in the vocal department. He sings, “I get lost in your eyes / Just a glance paralyzes me for a while / Then your laughter wakes me up / I get lost in your eyes.” The vocal harmonies are also great. Up next is “NTMTA.” There is great harmonica action here and the instrumentation works overall but the vocals were the strongest aspect for me. “Wounds” is another winner. I loved the vocals, piano and horns. That being said there were times the performance felt out of sync. “I Don’t Need Your Help” was a highlight. The comparison to Ben Folds Five felt most evident on this track and I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of the vocal performance, The other standout was “Anger Free” which is sparse and lets the vocals breathe. The songs are catchy, easy to appreciate and provide a sense of levity despite approaching serious subject matter. One reason it worked for me was because they were well written with a focus on the vocal melody. One of the more unique things about the album was the percussive elements. Hilpmann states, “we recorded our own percussion samples such as: foot stomps for the kick drum, claps, finger snaps, foot tambourine, shakers, cigarette lighter clicks, a leather notebook strapped to a wooden bar stool as a cajon sound, and a live fire siren from downtown.” I did have some minor issues with this. First off the album veers towards a lo-fi bedroom quality type sound. The percussion didn't always feel properly treated in terms of EQ, compression and balancing. The more important aspect was that there were numerous times it felt a bit sloopy, out of time and even unnecessary and took away from the melodies. That’s really the only issues I had with the EP. Whispers After Dark has some minor issues along the way for me but the vocals and songwriting is what made the EP a pleasure to listen to. Recommended.
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May 2024
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