Will Vickers, a member of several bands around the Columbus, Ohio area, decided to chronicle some of the original tunes from those groups in his Meta-Lark project. For two years, he worked on and off in his home studio, resulting in the six-track, forty-five minute Meta-Lark album. Vickers is joined by keyboardist Pat Rein, and plays the other instruments himself.
Vickers cites prog-rock influences like Yes and King Crimson, as well as the jam-band leanings of the Grateful Dead and Phish. With those guides, plus that track count and running time, you’d expect some longer cuts. Indeed Meta-Lark starts right there with its fifteen-minute opener “Raganarok.” The Yes influence is clear with the unison organ-and-guitar riffing; there are elements of jazz, funk and ‘70s soul too, especially as the instruments trade solo passages. A little over halfway through, Meta-Lark shifts to a softer feel, with spooky, Pink Floyd-esque keyboards. Rein puts a bow on the composition and caps the track with the same synth tones from the intro. It’s a nice piece, although the vocals were a bit incongruous. The sung melodies weren’t as well-constructed as the rest of the track–they’re almost an afterthought, especially in light of the work put in to the rest of the cut. “The Ballad of Davy Westwood” provides quite a contrast to the previous track. It’s an old country-saloon rocker, with acoustic guitar, piano and an old-West lyric on top of a train-beat groove. It’s fun, the arrangement is tight and the band nails the genre. Next up is “Surf” which features guest vocalist Sarah Wilgus and brings back some of the feel from the first track. There are elements of jazz, soul, funk, with some bluesy, riffy, prog-rock elements too. It grooves, but it’s slightly generic and wanders around: it’s more a warm-up jam, including the obligatory E7#9 chord, than a well-developed song. Rein’s keyboard work almost saves the track. The best part is the outro riff–the band’s focus comes back and they deliver a tasty section. The instrumental “Dead Leshi” has a feel like a fancy European court dance whose name is lost to anyone born after the Eighteenth Century. It incorporates some classical elements, including figured runs, string sounds and Brian Ferry-esque pull-off guitar licks. It is a tightly-arranged, compact delight and one of the album’s highlights. “Evermind” brings the riffs back, starting with a cool bass figure in much the same feel as “Surf.” Rein gets his blues-scale keyboard exercises in before the band shifts to clavinet-based funk with triangle-wave synths and conga drums straight out of a disco twelve-inch. It’s great fun, but there’s no transition in and out of the section, as if the engineer took two songs and spliced them together. Vickers’ lyrics (“serene tranquility of a mind / you thought it was of a certain kind”) didn’t add much here. The nine-minute epic “Hexifis” closes the album. Meta-Lark touches on the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and some heavier rock over the track. Rein is again the star here, with varied keyboard tones and parts that hold the various sections together well and keeps up the interest. The track moves along well, until the eight-minute mark, where we get some vocals and a moral lesson. “If you decide to spend your time / trying to make your reasons rhyme / you will find the years go by too fast / If you instead decide one day / to live another way / and never focus on the past / you will find your moments last,” says Vickers. Thanks Dad. Way to harsh my mellow. Meta-Lark tries a lot of things on their debut album, and achieves some success. They’re at their best when they keep their focus (“The Ballad of Davey Westwood,” “Dead Leshi”), and Pat Rein’s keyboard playing shines throughout. Let us hope Vickers and Rein keep pushing toward their next album.
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Robbie Maroon should be a familiar name if you visit Divide and Conquer often. Maroon released Dream Factory Volume 1 and 2 a couple of years ago and he is back with a new full length LP entitled Reckoning.
The album is full of instrumentation and Maroon did all the work (besides the mastering) from the songwriting to the mixing. It’s an impressive feat. On this album Maroon flirts with a lot of upbeat and poppy songs that should make you dance. The first song is entitled “The Fighter” and there’s an interesting combination of electric and rock. I liked the dynamics right off the bat and the chorus takes on the title of the song and feels like something that will get your adrenaline pumping and ready for battle. There’s an anthemic ‘80s quality to the chorus. Great opener. “Cyberlovestory” was a highlight. This song is a blast and I was definitely getting funk vibes in the spirit of Prince with a side of Parliament-Funkadelic. The groove absolutely bangs but the prize is the vocals. Maroon tackles the lyrics with enthusiasm and it’s very infectious. “Maria” brings the goods as well. It’s got this interesting mix of genres. Something about this felt like it was an Americana based song that was done in an electronic and funk style. Maroon displays some of his lead guitar skills against digital sounding horns and a kinetic rhythm section. “Rewind” is a little more chill and relaxing. It’s smooth as silk but also another dynamic song with a killer chorus and lush atmosphere. You should get your dancing shoes back on for “My Love” which is the funkiest song and just a blast. I loved what was happening on the bass. Maroon also shows his range in terms of the vocals and I enjoyed the background vocals which added a little extra kick. “Falling Out Of Love” may sound like a depressing title but the song is very upbeat and fun. If anything, falling out of love might be a party. “Stand” is a highlight. The falsetto chorus alone was enough to have me hooked. This is another song ripe for a good time. “I Won’t Be Doing That” continues to showcase his signature sound and also has one of the coolest sounding vocal builds. “The Reckoning” is filled to the brim with instrumentation and sounds like there are a couple vocal harmonies with the lead. After an extremely funky and fun time Maroon ends the album with “Take A Bow” which felt like the one and only ballad. Maroon is in top form here. I thought this was his best work so far. The songs all felt top notch and brought some of his best grooves to the table. Take a listen.
Das Kaiser is a trio based out of Atlanta, Ga. The band consists of brothers; Willem Kaiser (vocals/guitar) and Ewan Kaiser (vocals/drums) as well as Raina Ferguson (bass/vocals). According to the band they formed after the brothers’ father Eric Kaiser passed away which encouraged them to play music. They recently released The Way That I Was Raised which is a seven-song album.
Their music is mostly rock based and plays into a bit of classic rock, Americana and alternative. The first song is entitled “Sea Monster” and is pretty straightforward revolving around 4/4 time, minor and major chords and memorable vocal melodies. One thing that popped out to me was the vocal harmonies on the chorus which adds some extra weight. Some of the lyrics actually revolve around a sea monster. The first line was brilliant and made me laugh. The vocalist sings “My mom is a shark / my dad is an eel / the color of the ocean is exactly how I feel.” The first song was good but the next song “Miss Me When I Leave” is a highlight. I loved the mix of darker country and rock on this song. There’s some slight Johnny Cash vibes here and the chorus is very catchy. They make great use of vocals and I have to point some praise to Ferguson whose vocals blend really well. “Money Watch” is a good one as well and a highlight to my ears. There’s a southern gothic vibe that mixes folk and rock. The lyrics are dark and seem to be about someone getting mugged. I thought the tone worked very well here. It’s got a groove and is dark but not dismal. “Whiskey Shovel” is another highlight with a darker theme. The song flirts with ’50s pop, older country and is a slower moving song that contains some great guitar work. I have to mention the vocal harmonies are again one of my favorite things they do. “See You In The Morning” is the most rocking song. This song felt a little too lo-fi to me but still was solid. We also get some lead vocals from Ferguson and she knocks it out of the park. “Bank Account” is a fun one that’s more garage rock than country but still has a walking bass line you would associate with a bluegrass or country tune. Nice mix of genres. I’m not sure what happened to “Jesus Christ Pt.1” but “Jesus Christ Pt. 2” was cool. It’s a pretty straightforward rocker with a solid hook and kinetic energy. My favorites moments on this release were when they went into the darker country side of things and were able to mix it with aspects of rock. On that note I thought this whole release was solid. I think their dad would be proud of what they accomplished so far. Hopefully, this is just the beginning and I look forward to hearing more in the not too distant future.
Mike Price is an artist I’ve been familiar with for a couple of years now. He has released CALIGVLA and AVGVSTVS both which I have reviewed for Divide and Conquer. Price, for the most part, has made hip-hop inspired music. His latest however entitled YOUTH is different. Price explains “This album was inspired by, well… Youth. Prince, MJ, ’80s synthpop, dreampop, new wave, ’80s pop, ’80s anime theme music, NES gaming music… Stuff like that. The kids, in the backdrop of the album, are a reminder of the innocence we all possessed as children. This album is meant to be just a fun time.”
The album opens with “Notelpmis” and you do hear what sounds like kids right off the bat. This song is a little trippy and ambient. It is orchestral and combines with synths and serves as a warm introduction. I really liked the song and it made me feel still. Drums are introduced on “Anna Jean” along with synth-like lead elements. He mentioned NES and this song did feel nostalgic to me. The sounds felt like a video game I was playing back in the ’80s. “Ultra-Extra” still has a chip-tune like flavor but the energy is increased. A fast kinetic beat is combined with sub bass sounds, whirling airy leads that get more layers as it progresses. “Liquid Crystal Display” is one of the highlights. It’s got inventive percussion elements, atmospheric qualities and memorable melodies. There was something about this song that reminded me of Prince. “Milk Bowl” is just smooth and another highlight. I loved the groove on this song. The song is subtle and I recommend some headphones so you can notice what’s happening with reverb tails and melodies. This song felt very dreamlike. The album gets further and further away from the 8-bit aesthetic with “Project: Sunshine.” In fact “Project: Sunshine” felt like the second part to “Milk Bowl” but he seems to utilize more filters here and approaches it from a slightly different angle. The mood gets more upbeat with “All Alone” and this song I felt was probably more inspired by Prince. It’s a fluid song with no need for a hook but still has a lot of changes. “Pink Strings” contains some Japanese which felt more like an interlude and transitional track. As the album progressed I thought there were a number of highlights. There were some solid melodies on “Tomlin,” some of which are dissonant. The darker ’80s synth vibe on “The Sweet'' got my attention as did the whimsical and fantasy inspired “London Peach.” Price cleverly uses what sounds like water on “Water Games” which was oddly calming to me. I think it was the bubbles I was picturing. I love it when artists get out of their comfort zone and attempt different styles and approaches. Price is in top form and is on par with some of his hip-hop inspired albums. I hope he continues to unlock other areas of his talent because there might be a lot more to discover.
JJ Smith is a musician from the Chicago area who recently released 28 Club. Smith mentions “If a genre had to be applied to this record I'd call it ‘hard folk’.” After four decades of being involved with music I have to admit I never heard of ‘hard folk’. It feels like an odd name to be honest because the songs felt atmospheric and cinematic to my ears.
“Still” is the opener and also one of the highlights. Smith sings in falsetto for some of this song while he’s strumming in the beginning. Orchestral strings come in and this element is the difference from a straightforward folk to something cinematic and broad. This style used to be a little more prevalent in the ’70s when you would have folk singers backed by a four-string quartet. I liked the singing on this song but the instrumental breaks were just as good. Lyrically, it’s fairly sparse but contains some memorable lines. Smith sings “I can’t let go / My restless mind won’t stay / Still.” This is a very solid opener which leads to a crescendo towards the end. “Splint” is about a-minute-and-a-half and while pleasant and meditative in a way felt more like an early interlude. It revolves around inventive guitar parts. The first intimate moments come from the song “Every Time” which is also somber and pensive. There’s some steady guitar picking, dynamic vocals and lush orchestral strings. I loved the older country style that combines with the orchestration in the song. The first instrumental is warm but haunting and Smith knocks it out of the park in terms of the vocals and displays some range. “Doorbell (Once I'm There)” is just guitar and vocals. The picking pattern is fast and technical but also quite hypnotic. Smith stays in a lower octave range and gives more of a melancholy type of quality. The closing song “Should?” comes in around six-and-a-half minutes and starts with the most pensive sounding music on the EP. It’s also a bit haunting. The music is a slow burn but gets energized with additional guitar work, drums and bass. Once the lead guitar comes in there’s a bit of classic rock flavor in the spirit of a band like Pink Floyd. Towards the end the song rocks and you even get some distortion on the guitar as it heads towards the epic crescendo. The lyrics are poetic but there are some concrete lines as well. One of my favorites was “Don’t want to face it so just leave me. / Caught in a loop of coming undone.” There’s a lot to appreciate about this release. The orchestration gave it some extra emotional layers which I thought was brilliantly done. Most importantly however was the rock solid performance and well crafted songs. Take a listen.
Never Heavy is the debut LP release from Bay area–that’s Tampa Bay–musician Steve Alex. Alex, a veteran of the Tampa scene, took advantage of some pandemic-related schedule space to record this solo effort.
It’s sunny in Florida, and that sunshine spills right into the opener “Sensation.” It’s two-and-a-half minutes of glorious pop: a 4/4 beat, guitars, synths, three chords (OK, four), a sing-along chorus dripping with harmony. There’s nice production on the last verse, with handclaps and tambourine to take us over the top. It’s the Cars on spring break, with the top down and the cassette deck blasting. Once you’ve repeated that track a few times, you’ll find “Endless Summer,” Alex’s version of the wistful mid-tempo mid-year chill-out tune. Like the rest of the album, it’s well-produced; arrangements are tight and leave no fat to trim. Choruses soar. Harmonies are full. Guitars crackle but don’t offend. Synths wash, and throw in melodies here and there. Bass lines are melodic, and drums do exactly what you’d expect. It’s indie pop-rock, well done. There’s a nice gloss, to be sure, but there’s more here than just rainbows and beach bonfires. Some of the lyrics lean a little dark (or at least a little sketchy). “Not Around” breaks out some different harmonies, which is a welcome, unexpected change. “Moment” takes on a smoky, minor blues feel, with echoed guitar licks and piano lines that set off nice production touches. The steel drums and organ fill out “Goodbye Positions”’s acoustic guitar work nicely. The on-genre sax part of “Nice Life” is exactly what the song needed. The most interesting track is the instrumental “Marmalade,” which, surrounded on each side by four gems, is the tasty filling of the pop sandwich. It’s driven by a pumping bass riff and features complementary guitar and keyboard parts panned hard left and right. You can pick them out individually while letting them image together and blend–it’s a very cool sound and a fun listen. Steve Alex has delivered a lovely record with Never Heavy. Plug it in, drop the top, turn the knob and enjoy some Florida sunshine.
Last Chance is a hard rock band that consists of Frankie Rage (lead vocals), Dave Baron (guitars), Rob Phillips (bass) and Jordan Cannata (drums). Together, the band makes the sort of music that fans from the ‘70s and ‘80s will relish. Though a little on the dark side thematically, these are adrenaline rushing anthems, powered with high-energy. Filled with catchy hooks and giant choruses, with their debut self-titled release Last Chance the band consistently brings you a sound that will have old school rock n’ roll enthusiasts reeling!
Last Chance gets going with “Light The Fire,” that right from the get-go radioactive guitars meets the gamut of this track. The guitars and drums blazes to the forefront as Rage’s vocal powers reel listeners in. This definitely reminded me of classic rock music from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Right away, “Sick Of It All” struts in. Rage’s vocals are impassioned as he sings with attitude and gusto. The guitars backing him also sounded stellar. Right out of the gates comes the contagious melody for “Breakin’.” I could feel myself moving along to the pop punk sounds from the band here. Some reverberating guitars come into “Gotcha Back” at the start. Next, the drums align for a compelling vibe. Feeling very moody with bursts of blues, this was definitely an intoxicating mix from the band. To the melodic tune of guitars, “Human Eyes” is jumpstarted with a great indie rock vibe. The jaunty rhythms and ear-pleasing sounds really made this song. Up next is “Tattoo,” which starts out to a smattering of drums. The rest of the instrumentals gradually join in for a revved effect. This was another track bursting at the seams with energy. More great energy comes right out of the gates of the revving “Tough Titty.” The full-on guitars are definitely a sonic blast to the ears. The band shows you a good time with this rollicking rock n’ roll song. A wall of guitars jumpstarts the start of this track to great effect on “Anything But That.” The wave of instrumentals made for a great sound. Rage’s gritty vocals come in. He sings with verve and feeling as he belts out his vocals on this hard-hitting and heavy song. In a stop and go motion, comes the catchy and upbeat “Kamikaze.” Rage as the lead singer commandeers with his huge stage presence. He coos, screams and howls to great effect on these tracks, taking you by surprise every once in a while. The instrumentals backing him up are equally excellent as the music and vibe really takes you back to when this style was at its height of its popularity. Dynamic and compelling all at once, this is an exciting new record from the band. A great introduction to their sound, I look forward to seeing more great things from them.
Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fearful Earful is the lifelong music fanatic Jonathan Olson. Olson recently released a three-song EP entitled Shadowside. Apparently some of the initial ideas of the songs started over a decade ago.
“Playlist” is the opener and is pretty straightforward power pop and pop punk. The song contains heavily distorted guitars, driving drums and infectious vocals. It’s a dynamic song and Olson does a good job creating crescendos and builds which eventually lead to an explosive chorus. The song seems to be about a stranger/romantic interest who AirDrops a playlist to him. It felt like a clever and contemporary way to sing about love in the modern age. Olson sings “Hey babe Your playlist is on my mind / And I think You AirDropped me a sign / Oh, if I may be so bold, mon chéri / Fate shuffled you next to me / Now we're on repeat, endlessly.” “Parasitic Love” sounds like a different artist. This is a synth heavy ballad with no signs of power pop or rock. Apparently, the voicemail that shows up in the beginning of the song was from a person he knew. The music contains electronic sounding drum kits, a bunch of synths and pads. It’s a heartfelt song but I had no idea what to expect next. My personal favorite song was the title track “Shadowside.” It’s got more of an “indie” rock vibe. Olson explains “the song is the EP's manifesto, an indie pop song ending with a vocal sample of an interview with Carl Jung.” I thought the bass line drove the song along with the drums. The guitar work was solid as well with a defined and memorable chorus. There are a number of well developed sections with the song coming to its best part when he sings “Even though you feel alone / Inside your mind / You and I / So as below / Will rise above in time.” It’s been my experience that music EP’s and albums that have taken years to make can sound very piecemeal. That’s what you have here. Each one of these songs stands on its own but combined it gives you no real sense of the signature sound of the artist or if he has one. Some artists do this as a way to show different sides to their sound but at some point having something people recognize within your sound is beneficial. I liked all of these songs but in my opinion I hope his LP leans more towards the sound of “Shadowside.” The artist seems to be off to good start with his single "Save Your Soul." There’s a lot of talent coming from Olson and I look forward to hearing more in the not too distant future.
Bobcat is a Long Island based one-man band playing a blend of power pop, garage rock and rockabilly. And when I say a one-man band this is no exaggeration. When the sole member plays shows, it consists of a bass and snare drum at his foot, tambourine and shaker around his ankle, guitar in his hands and his vocals. There are some videos which I highly recommend on his Facebook page which demonstrate his abilities. The artist released a fifteen-song album which he describes as a stomping garage rock, power pop and rockabilly record. There is undoubtably an Elvis Costello and Roy Orbison vibe to many of the songs.
Things get going with the more garage rock based “Smoke and Mirrors” but there’s also some vocal harmonies and other elements which make it feel like it combines with an aesthetic from the ’50s. It’s a fun, catchy and upbeat song that starts the album with a good amount of energy. Some of that Roy Orbison flavor is on “Questioning My Sanity” and after this song I realized the artist excels at creating vocal harmonies on top of the lead. The '50s vibe feels authentic and pure. Great song. “Things Have Changed” takes more from surf rock and a lot of the riffs here sound like something from Dick Dale. Some of the songs also reminded me of the style from The Beatles early on in their career. “Far Past The Point” blends elements of rockabilly and surf into one of the highlights on the album. The groove is undeniably infectious and has some of the most memorable vocal melodies. I thought of the instrumental “Thoughts of Impending Doom” which is a unique take on surf and blues. There are a lot more songs as the album progresses but a number of them felt like highlights. The emotive “Lonely Sounds of Goodbye” hits all the right marks while “I Know What I Did” might be the fastest song on the album and also one of the more adrenaline inducing with more vocal harmonies.“Listen to Me, Baby” and the epic rock ballad “Things You're Not Supposed to Know” are back to back standouts. “I'll Be Gone,” “Fulfill My Destiny” and the closer “In The Mean Time” continue to solidify a signature sound. The album is a clear tip of the hat to a prior generation. Bobcat has it down pat and seamlessly combines many different genres. I would say fans of the aforementioned should love this.
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Pessimist Frown is an artist from Great Yarmouth, UK who recently released Thanks For Your Ears. The artist has a familiar story where he was in a band, they broke up and he decided to release solo work. This is a stripped back release that revolves around acoustic guitar and vocals.
The first song is entitled “Social Fire” and the production is lo-fi but also reminded me of one my favorite musical acts - The Microphones. It’s a little over a minute long. The vocals are slightly off key here and there but that’s some of the charm. “Brother Sisyphus” contains a couple guitars and there’s some solid lead work. One thing about this song I appreciated is that it seems to revolve around The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus which is one of my favorite essays. Solid song. “Autumn Cheer” was a little distorted and raw. It sounded similar to early recordings from Neutral Milk Hotel. It’s a straightforward song like many of the others revolving around minor and major chords but was also one of the highlights. The philosophical underpinnings continue with lines like “There is something that gives meaning / What that is I'm trying to find / Everything appears so clear / Almost as clear as autumn cheer.” I have to wonder if “Oh! Alcohol” is about alcoholism. That was at least my interpretation of the song. Despite the depressing title “Always Alone” felt sort of chipper and upbeat. I thought this song had some of the catchiest vocal melodies. However “Personal Hell” is just as personal as it sounds with lyrics like “It’s so hard to yell / Buried in this hell / Choking on blood and leaves / I’ve forgotten how to breathe.” “Someone Else's Dream” was one of the highlights although the distortion felt a little overboard to me on this song. The other highlight was “Fragments of a Dream'' which contained memorable melodies and solid wordplay. Musically, there’s not too much going on. I think some more instrumentation sprinkled in may have helped. I will say the distortion he implements does help with variation. Overall, I thought this was a heartfelt album that tried to capture a lot of the thoughts and feelings we have about meaning and the world around us. The honesty comes through and is a factor in why this is an enjoyable listen. Recommended. |
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