Jeff Waggoner aka JERF is a multi-instrumentalist who spent several years fronting the band Sleeping Plant. The artist recently went solo and released a ten-song self-titled album JERF. He mentions: “This album is a collection of songs that were important to me, but that had never made it onto a recording thus far in my life. Songs that I believed in but never made it into a band's repertoire. Some of the songs are 15 years old, some of them are very recent.”
In my experience when a songwriter records with that kind of disparity in time it can be a scattered sounding album but that wasn’t really the case here. Some of the songs are more folk, some are more rock but overall I was getting an Americana vibe for these songs. The album starts strong with “Runaway” which is a fun and catchy tune. I was digging the syncopated action between the bass and guitar melodies right away. The song blooms into something very full sounding during the chorus and reminded me of the band The War on Drugs. The spirit continues with the slightly more country infused “Life Was Easier” while the acoustic folk song “Oh, I’m a Writer” is a slight change in direction but sounded very good. “I Cry 2.0” is a slow burn song that is pensive and reflective. The energy rises slightly with “Horizons” and then really rises with one of the highlights entitled “Echo Park.” “Everyone I Know Is Lost” was another really good song but felt like a different mood to me. It’s more thematic, moody and aligned with a band like Radiohead. The mood does a 180 with “My Brother” which is a warm and bright folk/rock hybrid. “Walk Straight '' was a song that builds into some very cool melodies with innovative percussion. Last up is “Rolling Stone'' which ends on a celebratory note. The artist made a good move by having it mixed and mastered professionally. That really made a difference to my ears. I thought this was a great album with some really solid songs and delivery. Take a listen.
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Steve Hammond is an artist who has been in the music game for more than twenty years. Hammond recently released small songs which as he states: “This album was written and recorded over the course of the year 2020. The idea was to release an original song each week of the year. Of course the year turned out to be quite different than any of us expected and that in turn certainly influenced the content.” To consider this a traditional album seems a little far fetched. It reminded me of 69 Love Songs by Magnetic Fields. The songs are very different from one to another. There’s very little cohesion but I’m sure Hammond was aware of that. On that note there are a whopping fifty- three songs. I’m obviously not going to go through every song here but will mention some of the songs that stuck out to me. I loved “real life” which felt like a homage to The Beatles and the very next song “glass of wine” sounded more like a tip of the hat to Roy Orbison. Another great song with was “guitarrarara” which contains some badass spaghetti western guitar which sounds like it’s straight from a Quentin Tarantino movie. The el tropicano vibe of “georgie bean” was fantastic as was the distorted rock/sur anthem “we should have died.” The darker and more metal inspired “here come the crows” was also pretty amazing and I liked the organ breakdown into ’60s psychedelia. One thing became apparent: Hammond is a master songwriter. He’s all over the place in terms of style and genre but somehow nails it. There really weren’t any songs which felt significantly inferior because of the genre. I’m going to surmise it's a combination of talent and experience. I loved this release even if it doesn't play like a traditional album. His ability to genre hop and also combine multiple genres in one song was creative and well executed. This is a release I would suggest listening to from beginning to end and finding your personal favorites.
Pete Godfrey is a musician from Leicestershire, Midlands, UK who has been playing music since he was eighteen years old. He started out playing pubs and bars as most people do and throughout his life has been involved with music. Godfrey assembled a studio in his loft which is where his release This Dirty Life was recorded.
“Hold Back the Rain” is a straightforward classic rock type of song. It’s quite good. I thought the melodies were memorable and his vocals soar at points. The use of reverbs was very good. “A Boy Called Dave” is much more new wave in the spirit of a band like New Order. It actually took me by surprise but also was a well done song with a lot of energy and it is very danceable. “Come On” is an atmospheric song that feels quite dreamy because of the use of delay and reverb. The vocals are fantastic on this song. The most rocking song yet goes to “High Street Vandals” while “Man in the Distance” has more of that classic rock vibe but actually reminded me of Cheap Trick just with more reverb. “She Moves” was another highlight which has some killer vocals melodies and just an awesome groove. “The Ocean in Me'' is a little more reflective and pensive that sort of meditates on the concept of mundane routine. The next four songs are acoustic versions of some of the previous songs. That being said some of them sounded very similar to the originals and were not as stripped down as I would have thought. This is an album where you can feel the experience from the artist. The songs are well delivered and there is also a confidence in the performances that is undeniable. Overall, there’s a lot to appreciate about this release. Fans of some of the aforementioned bands should enjoy it. Take a listen.
Lofter was started in 2015 by Arman and CJ in Oakland, CA. The duo recently released a four-song EP entitled Ulcer. They mention: “The Ulcer EP teams with frustration. It's hard to tell if these two are bored to the point of anger, or angry at the homogeneity of everything around them.
The EP is mostly aligned with industrial artists somewhere between Ministry and NIN a lot of the time. I might also put the band Daughters in there as well. The EP starts with “...” and is immediately reminded of The Fragile by NIN. The pulsating synths and metallic nature of it felt subterranean. It builds fast and vocals are added to the mix. The song gets intense rather quickly and anger is definitely a primary emotion here. It’s cathartic and seems to be coming from a very real place. “RUT” raises the stakes. There’s intense tribal drums, white noise, blaring guitars and an overall kinetic feel to the song. Around the two-minute-and-thirty-second mark the song goes into overdrive and comes to a boil. “Your Life” is highly metallic sounding. The percussion is metronome-like which is backed by vertigo inducing melody. I loved the vocals on this song which is expressive and I can tell all of the emotion is coming from the pit of his stomach. Last up is “Fade” which begins with a badass sub bass melody. The song, similar to the other, reaches intense highs but the groove rarely stops to breathe. My only critique with the EP was it was pretty lo-fi. This style of music is great but a little more fidelity would have helped with the separation of the instruments. That being said, at points it did work in their benefit. Overall, this is a solid release. Fans of some of the aforementioned artists will really appreciate this. Take a listen.
Ryan Melia is a singer/songwriter based from New York and co-founding member of PigPen Theatre Co. Years Ahead is Melia's debut record, an eight-track contemporary folk album, drawing influences from Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and various other 2000's folk artists. Melia played every instrument on Years Ahead (including guitar, violin, percussion, synth, flute, banjo and piano), highlighting his undoubtedly talented musicianship and the care, dedication and attention he puts into his work is evident throughout the album.
The record kicks off with "First Shade,” a short oriental-inspired track that gives you an insight into the intimate and emotive music of Ryan Melia. This is followed by "Me, I" which has a poetically smooth quality and sees Melia perform in a David Grayesque, earthy and delicate nature, which align perfectly with the impassioned lyrics and stunning sonic tapestry that Melia's flute work paints, similar to Nick Drake’s "Pink Moon" in sharing a melancholic vulnerability and elemental ethos. Ryan Melia's extraordinary musicianship is distinctly evident throughout the album with his astounding banjo and piano work on "Easy Answer" empowering the song to have exciting layers and depth at every corner. On “Pyre," Melia exhibits his versatility, opting for a more haunting, layered vocal performance, along with the atmospheric production, giving this track an ambient feel and a strikingly eerie quality akin to early Bon Iver, which concludes with the acoustic of just vocals and banjo, that make you feel like you are in the room with Melia performing. The album concludes with “Aran" — a powerful ending, with Melia's beautiful violin, a true highlight, and the powerful repetitive lyrics "If we have to go now/ We will find a way" as it finishes with the sounds of birds singing that calmingly wash over you. Years Ahead is a stunningly heartfelt, warm and intimate album with impressive nature-inspired, textured and ambient production. But the thing that stands out more than the album itself is Melia's stunning gift in his songwriting, instrumentation, arrangements and warm, calming vocals. As he develops his sound with time and experience, he will become a generational force to be reckoned with, and I will follow this exceptional talent future endeavors closely.
Philadelphia-based songwriter Jack McTamney has just released Halfway To NowHere, a collection of twelve “alternative Americana rock songs with acoustic flourishes and a dash of psychedelia.” As a teenager McTamney had radio and television appearances with the bands The Tonebenders and Gunnersrun, among others. As a writer his songs have been covered by the Soul Mates, BandAnna and the German band Velvet Steel.
For this project McTamney handles vocals and acoustic guitars with help from Jim Fogarty (lead guitar/mandolin/accordion/six-string bass), Walt Rich (bass) and Roger Cox (drums) along with several guests. McTamney says that his songs sound as if “Pete Townsend and Tom Petty joined Son Volt.” He even appears to share Townsend’s avatar, Meher Baba. Recording took place at Rich’s house using vintage ADAT gear (an early digital recording format) with additional recording by Barb Adams at Sonic Studios and mastering by Peter Humphries at Masterwork Recording Inc., both in Philadelphia. My first impression hearing McTamney’s songs was that they sounded a bit like John Mellencamp, and I mean no disrespect as I’ve been known to spin a Mellencamp LP for pleasure. “Into The River” gets us started in just that vein with a tasteful rock arrangement leaving plenty of room for McTamney’s vocals; the Townsend influence is clear in the sweet lead trills floating alongside the acoustic and electric guitars. “Jeanette” feels like British Invasion by way of Tom Petty, including chorus handclaps and “mirroring” vocals. Love these lyrics: “If i were fred astaire / I’d dance right up your stairs / with flowers and a smile to make you swoon / and if i were ol' bing / beneath your window i would sing / and revive you with kiss after i croon.” Two thumbs WAY up! “Beautiful Enemy” brings us back to Mellencamp territory with a chugging rock tune about a relationship that “…feels more like espionage than it does like romance / and when we we make love we do the scorpion dance.” “February’s Child” is a mellow folk-country lament that might have been a hit in the world of Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb with nice vocal harmonies by McTamney and tasty slide guitar by Jim Fogarty. “Inches” is a slinky Stones-like boogie about frustration in love with more dead-on lyrics: “If you can pass away from frustration / baby this is the end of my life / and it's my own hesitation / that just keeps twisting the knife.” Love the nasty electric guitar interplay. “Utah” - not to sound like a broken record - again recalls John Mellencamp, in the best possible way. The line “If I asked you to be my religion” could be an alternate title for the song, and is a terrific concept: “Would you send me away? Answer me when I pray? Send me straight to hell?” “Mr. Ford” appears to be a “period” song about a dustbowl-era guy who can’t feed his family and is desperately knocking at the gate of the Ford plant for “four dollars a day.” The accordion, mandolin and Fender Champ guitars give this tune a Tex-Mex feel. “A Boy And His Dog” is a folky remembrance of McTamney’s late dog Duke, and it’s as heartrending as you can imagine. “One Chord Song” is not exactly one chord but damned close, and delves into the “psychedelic” corner of McTamney’s tool kit with a bit of a spacey Beatles vibe. “Hell” is a rousing final acoustic sing-along that begins with actual “field recordings of drunks at McCloskey’s,” along with a huge list of background singers. I honestly can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this album and highly recommend it to all!
Sam Teller is a young artist who recently released Out Of The Womb. It’s a long album at thirteen songs and about one hour and thirteen minutes long. This album actually gave me a lot of nostalgia for when I was about Teller’s age just a little under twenty years ago. I was in college in Champaign, Il and on weekends my roommates and I would go to the Canopy Club. Nine times out of ten it was hippy type music ranging from jam bands, to retro classic rock bands that obviously listened to a lot of Grateful Dead. This album reminded me of one of those bands.
This album has that classic Americana flavor that was born sometime in the late ’60s. You hear it on the earthy organ, the piano fills and the overall aesthetics. The album is full of well- delivered songs such as “The Moment” which features killer lead guitar and vocal harmonies. Some of the more melancholy songs like “Bear Song” were highlights. On “Bear Song” the vocal harmonies sounded great and was a nice lead in to the more jovial “Cannonball.” “Death Into Space” sounded out of place in comparison. This experimental ambient wormhole, while very cool sounding individually, didn't really flow well with the other songs in terms of mood, emotion and structure. Towards the end of the album it really stays on more traditional jam band type songs all of which were quite good. Teller seems at this point to be wearing his influence on his sleeve in terms of structure, grooves and dynamics. He seems to have the basics down of what you need to be a promising musician but doesn't seem to explore the past where the songs go into areas to seem more novel. I would like to hear at least a couple surprises. The good news is he's a young guy just starting out and has plenty of time to explore. Overall, this is a very solid release and I have a feeling it’s just the beginning to a hopefully promising career. I look forward to hearing where he goes from here.
Psychic Risk is a solo project based out of southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio (Toledo). It got its start as some experimental recordings and has evolved into the grunge, punk and alternative inspired music it is today. Perpetuated by violence, antagonism against the United States and negativity, Psychic Risk’s latest album False Promises “paint(s) an ugly picture of our world.” This “ugly picture” is maintained, though found in pockets within are instances of hope, which is used sparingly. Psychic Risk’s rage against a corrupt system keeps listeners on their toes and his vocals take on a punk-inspired and carnivalesque vibe to give audiences a relentlessly uncompromising view of the world. In this space, Psychic Risk uses drum programming, synths, guitars, bass and vocals to create sonic landscapes full of experimentation and noise.
False Promises works in “Altar of False Promises,” where fuzzed out vocals are shouted out to give emphasis to the gritty themes that sound out with a grungy, punk and alternative sound. The guitars heavily build up in the backdrop really carrying forward the sound. The vocals are spewed out in a very carnivalesque vibe, feeling in parts very punk and grunge-inspired. The sounds are very hard-hitting – you can feel the rage in his vocals as the noise rock takes the experience to whole new levels. Manic evil laughter can be heard sounding out periodically. Next, the music moves into more slow burning territory with “American Pilot.” The melody meanders for a bit for some very melancholy vibes. The sounds are somber filled with sad notes. This song had a nice flow to it. The bass on this track was moving as synths sound out with an atmospheric vibe. This felt like an alternative song reminiscent of bands from the ‘90s and ‘00s. A sparse sound coming from the guitars make up the intro of “Ending Quick.” Next, an upbeat beat makes for a catchy and sunny sound. The groove on this song made it very dance-worthy. I loved the jaunty vibes to this track. The melodies and rhythms were great. Glitch-y electronic riffs give “Tear Gas” an industrial flair. As the beats gain traction, some samples of violence and riots make for a very chaotic listen. As a piano melody meanders for a bit, some gritty vocals add in a very metal and hard rock vibe. The vocals are for the most part spoken word. The poetry performance incorporates a dash of experimentation to the album. Heavy rhythms on bass winds through “Legions Of Dread.” Drums and spiraling guitar riffs also heighten the sounds. The combined vocal harmonies give a very gritty and gnarly hard rock twist. The guitar solos are reverberating. The riffs felt hard-hitting filled with distorted effects. On “Those Without,” delicate finger-picking on the acoustic guitar makes an appearance here. Gradually, some warbling synths join in for a heavier vibe. As some electric guitar rolls in, a more driven sound is fleshed out. Some keys add to the energized sounds. Distorted vocals come through full-throttle, giving this track a great punk and grunge vibe to it. On “Starry-Eyed Salesman,” some lone guitar riffs sound out here. The effects are drenched in reverb. Soon some beats and electronic sounds drift in. The manic sounds of the keys are ill-contained. Some fuzzy vocals are shouted out in the punk rock spirit. The retro keys sounded great here. The percussive beats highlight a very upbeat sound. I loved the energy of the guitar and vocals here. Some shimmering guitars give off a melodious vibe on “Worth It.” More guitars are overlapped in compelling layers. In a rather quiet manner, Psychic Risk’s vocals come in. His voice is soft as this felt like a lullaby to send listeners off on this closer. The energy here felt different from the more driven and harder riffs from before. Oscillating from hard to soft, Psychic Risk continues to leave audiences guessing throughout. There is no doubt the energy on this EP will keep audiences riveted. What comes across is a gothic sound, packed with drama and loads of darkness. Every inch the experience, with Psychic Risk’s demanding vocals that take you straight into these tracks, he takes the lead, commanding with theatrical showmanship to give you performances that are deliberate and fully realized. Surrounding the sound is the distorted effects, keeping the reverb level fully charged. Through the mood and ambiance of this album can get disparaging and distorted, a little light can be gleaned from out of the darkness, keeping the hard-hitting sounds not so heavy. Psychic Risk has a lot to say and he is only getting started on this EP. I look forward to seeing what’s next for this artist.
Sam McGilvery, Tom O’Sullivan, Nat McGrath and Max McGilvery are Sugar Machine. The band formed in 2019 and recently released an EP entitled Demoted. I thought the songs were fairly straightforward and accessible. There seemed to be a good amount of ’90s rock influence.
They get going with “Sheepie” with a four-chord power chord type song not too far away from older Green Day but with more of an Americana type of influence at points. It’s a solid song with a good amount of energy. “Shade” has a laid back groove sort of between reggae and ska. The vocals are way in the background even with cleaner guitars. Dynamically the song doesn't change much. There’s a blaring guitar solo at one point but the song in general stays around the same intensity the whole time. “Something To Remember” is the most ’90s sounding yet with an alternative vibe. The highlight was “Mystic Woman” which had a great guitar melody that reminded me of the bands Hum and Pavement. I also thought the slide guitar at the end was well done. The most driving and aggressive song goes to “Invisible Man” while the closer “No Clue” is a nihilistic punk song. I’ve been working with bands for two decades and this release has all the normal qualities I hear from a newly formed band. They can write a tune but right now seem to be experimenting with sub-genres of rock while not finding their own signature sound. Truth be told, that can take a long time if ever for most bands. The band is off to a solid start with this demo quality release. I’m looking forward to how they will evolve their sound in the not too distant future.
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, The Formerly Misinformed describe themselves as a family group. “The All In A Dream project started roughly a year ago with a challenge to write one song between my sister and I. Once we recorded, we recruited our younger sister to join us. After that, our Dad wanted to join and provide vocals and some guitar work too. We ended up with ten songs and decided to release it as a complete album.” Their description reminded me of The Partridge Family, so I was kind of expecting a group of precocious teenagers that “…really came together when Dad sang along.” In fact, they’re all grownups with wives and kids of their own! This makes their band even more unique as siblings often prefer to keep their distance.
Brandon sings and plays electric and acoustic guitar ; the other players’ credits are spotty, but I gather that Erica plays keyboards and sings, Emily also sings, and sings and adds guitar and mandolin. Stylistically, Brandon says his songs are a mix of older music styles with a few modern elements, and he personally likes Radiohead, The Beatles, Spoon, Hot Chip, Steely Dan, Delta Sleep, Dawes and Neil Young. Thematically, the album deals with isolation and sadness, which Brandon says are often his favorite type of songs. The striking cover art is a negative of an old photo of his Mom and Grandmother. Brandon recorded mostly at home using GarageBand and Logic on his MacBook Pro, using stock plugins. “Broken Me” is the song that started both the group, and the album. Brandon and Erica came up with the lyrical idea of “I miss the old me” and worked on the song for several months. The result is a mellow piano-based tune with lovely sibling harmonies. The lyrics are relatively simple and say a lot with repetition and minimal changes. “Maybe I’ll Call” features beautiful vocals by Emily (alone and overdubbed) with some nice piano and synth melodies. The drum machine is somewhat dated and artificial, however. The title track “All In A Dream” is noteworthy for some phased processed guitar and an interesting arrangement that seems to float about at will. “So Hard To See” is one of my favorite tracks with a Dylan-like vocal from Terry and a chord scheme that moves freely from major to minor, and a nice wall of synths standing in for strings; tasty guitar licks top off the package. “What Do You Think Now?” Is an upbeat song that crystalizes some reservations I have. Brandon’s voice is certainly unique, but it doesn’t always sound like he’s embracing his own lyrics, either by singing a bit flat or not fully enunciating. However, when he harmonizes with the girls it works much better, and the following “Radio Light” is a perfect example. Folky and sweet, this sad remembrance of lost love features a lovely vocal dialogue between the boy and girl characters. “74 Amens” is a quite different tune, beginning with a close imitation of a string orchestra, majestic piano and timekeeper drum machine, which then melds into throbbing synth movements overlaid with crowd sounds. Not sure what it means, but I would have loved more experiments like this. “WYSIIII” is an acronym for “Whatever you say it is it isn’t” which makes up the bulk of the lyrics for this final tune. I choose to see this song as a parable about people faking their own reality through social media. The drums here sound real (if they’re not, good job!) and the guitar breaks have a twisted, insistent quality. The male and female vocals follow the established Misinformed pattern. My humble suggestion would be to evaluate the vocals as they’re being recorded and maybe establish a more consistent and realistic drum sound going forward. Ultimately there’s much to recommend this collection, and plenty of promise for the future. |
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