Michigan-based chinook is an instrumental rock quartet. Haymaker is their first full-length release (seven tracks, forty-three minutes). It follows their 2010 EP Me All Night Long.
Nine years between albums? Really? Really. They tell us that every song has at least sixty tracks, with some scoring north of eighty. They incorporate layers and layers of guitars and keyboards, and have hidden some aural Easter eggs. Kudos to the mixer (Matt Ten Clay at Amber Lit Audio), and the masterer (Andy Reed)--they had their work cut out for them, and they did a terrific job delivering a clear, vibrant recording. The drums are big and out front; the nuances of the layered parts shine through, especially on repeated listens. In those nine years, chinook also focused on their songwriting. It shows: the arrangements are tight. The songs are composed well, with clear riffs and verse/chorus structures. This makes the songs much more accessible, and makes the variations (whether in pitch, texture, or accent) that much more apparent. Even better, there’s no noodling or dextrous showing-off that often infects recordings of this genre. Sure, chinook varies time signatures throughout their songs, but these variations are musical and used to good effect. What’s a haymaker, anyway? In boxing, it’s a forceful blow. While the music here is powerful (and the force of chinook’s musicianship is clearly strong), I might have named the album vortex, instead. The music doesn’t come straight at you and knock you over; rather, it swirls around and envelops you. On listening, I found myself carried away, listening to each track and theme develop. Time flew; that’s the sign of a good album. If you like the first cut “Saddlery,” the rest of the album will make sense to you. The band work a repeated riff under multiple overdubs of arpeggiated guitar figures and keyboards. The drums, out in front, move the feel around, and the band shifts meter seamlessly with variations in the riff. Later there are shimmering square-wave synths, and a hard-panned, multiple guitar ending. This is the band and what they do, and they do it well. There are high points throughout the album, but I particularly liked “Fiji,” where handclaps add to the upbeat accessibility of the tune. The bass is locked in with the drums, and the bass-and-drum breakdown worked well. “Glutter” also has a solid bass/drum breakdown. The guitar harmonics on “Frenching” were terrific. Finally, the drum solo on “Kisses” reminded me of Bun E. Carlos, in the best possible way. Lots of care went into the making of Haymaker, and it shows. Well done, chinook, and I hope the next album comes out sooner than 2028!
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The Husht, which is mostly made up of one guy, Philip Wright, is located in Carmichael, California. Some of his proudest moments in music was when he coached a youth band to a second place victory in the 2019 “Stairway to Stardom,” a music education program judged by the likes of Steve Brown (Oleander) and Brad Lang (Y&T). The previous year, Wright played on stage with Toryn Green (Fuel) to perform “Hemorrhage” as part of the mid-show entertainment. Recently, he’s played a solo acoustic set of his own material for The Bitter Elegance, a band that rose from the ashes of The Kimberly Trip (Sony RED artist) of days past. Wright is currently in a Pat Benatar tribute band (which is on hold due to COVID).
The band had the distinct pleasure of playing two gigs with the original bass player (Roger Capps) of Pat Benatar's band. The Husht is his first solo venture. The debut, To the Crows, was recorded in Fair Oaks, California, at the MasqueradeRecording Studio, engineered, produced, and mixed by Jeffry-Wynne Prince (of The Bitter Elegance and who helps out on bass and additional keys) and mastered by Rainer Gembalczyk. The album is a mix of genres – anything from modern rock and psychedelic pop to brooding melodies and space rock. On the opening track "Down the Rabbit Hole,” Wright states that it’s autobiographical – a modern rock jam that he wrote to cope with depression and anxiety, which nearly drove him to suicide. Fortunately, he survived and was able to begin his songwriting venture. I think Wright’s writing is clear, and if you’ve been there, his lyrics can’t be any more direct. The rabbit hole metaphor is spot on. I liked how he mixes a darker sound with this opener, too. Not straight rock, not straight pop, but elements of both with the edgy style. Wright’s first single "Can You Hear Me?" is a space rock, Pink Floyd-ish take on a sci-fi novella titled "Gypsy" by Carter Scholz. In return, Wright received an autographed copy of his book as thanks – pretty cool! I could hear the Pink Floyd influence, but also some elements of British modern pop of the 2000s, a la Snow Patrol. I liked the inspirational-like melody as well. Related to the opening track "She Fades Away,” is a biographical song for a young woman Wright knew who was struggling with severe depression and an eating disorder. Acoustically written, the lyrics cut deep. I thought this had a spacey edge to it as well, with the additional percussive effects adding great dimension. “From Where I Stand” features Merlot, a female singer whose voice pairs quite well with the song’s style and sound. The keys and string arrangements really added depth to this “earthy” like tune. “Hurt By You” has a driving bass-y force with grunge-ish guitar hooks. It’s definitely one of Wright’s heavier tunes and features a fantastic guitar solo and ending measures! “Send a Wave Around the World” has a different feel, more earthy and world beat, as Wright seems to add elements of a Brazilian or Spanish guitar style. The drums, played by Bractune, are deep and tribal and sounded excellent. “Gotta Go Home” finds Wright changing gears again, taking a page from a Nine Inch Nails playbook perhaps, or other ‘90s bands like Filter. His lyrics suggest hooking up with someone at a bar and “being drunk from the heat” but, “he’s gotta go home.” The final track of the album’s same name, is what Wright says “is completely outside of the mold – if you listen to nothing else, please listen to that one through the end as the final build decays and floats into a chorus of voices, crows, wind and more.” I tend to agree. Musically, Wright mixes a lot into this one – acoustic, rock, electronica, space – it’s a feast for the ears! Lyrically, the words are great and read like a classic song that could stand the test of time – “I keep getting older, keep on waiting to be wise / But every truth I find comes with another pack of lies.” I could not relate more. I liked the crow sounds and additional voices at the end, too. Overall, The Husht’s To the Crows, offers various sounds and styles which kept me engaged from the first track to the last.
Old Hands is an artist from Chicago and he recently released Illinois. This isn’t a cover of the Sufjan Stevens album. The man behind the project was doing comedy and once the pandemic hit he needed to find a new outlet which happened to be music. I have to give him some kudos. I myself have been a musician for around twenty-five years and went to school for composition, have been in countless bands and still find there is more to discover.
This release is primarily shoegaze but it also felt an artist who is just getting started and is in the embryonic stage of development. The EP begins with “it couldn't be done” and it really felt separate from the other songs. There is some sort of sample and music which sounds similar to the fantastic group Broadcast. On that note there isn’t any of the aesthetics such as distortion, warm fuzz and more which define most of the other songs. The record starts to bloom with “games on yourself” which feels like early ’90s somewhere between The Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine. It’s pleasant and I liked the vocals. The song revolves around major and minor chords, some fuzz and a 4/4 beat. He opens a little bit musically on “you're still you” which veers more to classic My Bloody Valentine. The lyrics are somber and fairly hopeless in all honesty. He does some more lamenting on “feeling young” about things getting a little warmer “nothing but me.” The highlight might be “garden of guilt” if for no other reason then it was catchy. He gets his darkest on “always tired” which has some Joy Division vibes. This release has almost all the common issues I hear with other home recordings. There isn’t much separation, phase issues and an unneeded amount of treble and concentration of frequencies within 5k to 7k. It also has its charm which is the honest and earnest way in which it’s delivered. The biggest strength to me on this release was the catchy melodies and vocal delivery. This felt like a solid start especially for someone who hasn’t been solely focusing on one art. I hope this is just the beginning and wish him luck in his evolution.
Bring Your Own Bear is a band composed of Étienne Quirion (vocals/guitar), Keven Lambert (vocals/guitar), Jean-Michel Grenier (keyboard/vocals), Bruno-Pier Busque (drums) and Jacob Fortin (bass). The band has a familiar story of working together when they were young and they are going to university in different locations. Back when I was that age you really didn’t have any choice but to break up. There was no such thing as Dropbox or file sharing through the Internet. Times have changed and the band was able to continue to work on songs and recently released Fake Leather Chair.
This music is certainly rock based and mixes a number of sub genres like prog, hard and classic rock. The band starts to kick ass with “55555555555555555555” and on this song they have a fairly modern rock sound. I was digging the lead which actually gave it an ’80s type of vibe at one point. The band thoroughly rocks and they keep this momentum going although they can also strip things down like they do on “Out of the Rain.” This song starts off with acoustic guitar and vocals, and builds with layers. It gets more intense as it progresses. “Without Beer” was a highlight. I loved the timing on this song from the instrumentation to the vocals. The vocals were really great and the hook was anthemic. There is an older classic '70s rock vibe on “Silence” with a dash of metal. There are some darker tones thrown in the mix. “Give Me Your Fire” also has some harder hitting rock. This song however mixes a prog like bass line with early ‘00s hard rock. I thought the mix wrecked very well. “Fake Leather Chair” was ridiculously catchy but the song sounded odd coming off of “Give Me Your Fire.” The tone is playful and borderline silly like it would be on a kids program. They get back into hard rock mode with “Yastridobicularite” and “A Whore With No Name” while the closer “Heal” is one of the catchier tunes with a memorable vocal melody. Overall, the album felt fairy cohesive. The songwriting was solid and the delivery was often exceptional. Recommended.
Static aka Joseph Ling is an artist from Melbourne, Australia who recently released Turn the Light On. He plays into a popular sound of bands like M83, The Chromatics and movies like Drive decided to embrace. Ling flirts with airy synth pop and post-punk of the ’80s. Ling utilizes a lot of the essential elements such as 808 sounding drum kits and airy synths which seem like they came from a Roland D-50.
He immediately establishes what this album is going to sound like on “Turn the Light On.” The aesthetics are dead on and familiar as long as you have heard the genre before. The opener was good but I really enjoyed “Next Time” which contains some great synth sounds and most importantly a memorable hook. His vocals actually reminded me of Ian Curtis on this song at least during the verse. “Haunted” actually doesn't sound like the title. It’s a very bright song. That being said I could barely hear the vocals at points. He displays some melancholy and introspection on “Marlowe Drive” which was a nice change in pace. He does a great job on “Adulthood” by adding some hefty low end and continuing with the introspection and melancholy. He brings up the energy more on “Walk Away.” I really liked this song which is sort of ambiguous. It’s dark but not always and does a balancing out of combining different emotional energies. “Forever” and “Is Anyone There?” are solid songs while “Evaporate” is the most ambient sounding song in the batch. He closes with a highlight entitled “Falling Apart” which has a great mix and one of the best vocal performances on the album. The album certainly veered towards lo-fi and the engineer side of me wanted some more fidelity and clarity on a number of songs. Overall, I thought there were some well written songs and it will appeal to fans of the genre. Take a listen.
Being Lucius is an artist from Seattle, Washington who recently released Feel. The artist mentions “The album Feel is about being honest with what's going on in ‘your world’ and trying to capture the good and the beauty out of purposeful chaos.”
The album contains ten tracks and is a nice mix of genre and style. There is a good amount of instrumentation and some great vocal performances as well. The album opens with “Feel” and mixes everything from airy pads, to arpeggiated synths, keys and much more. It felt very welcoming, relaxing but also quite joyous. He showcases more talent on “Hello Jane My Friend” which features some very dynamic vocals. He does a great job going from spoken word to more traditional singing and a number of places in between. The feeling on “Ride into the Sun (A Father’s Western)” is a little more melancholy, introspective and nostalgic at least in mood. There was a sense of levity when listening to “Welcome to the Show” which felt way more playful and loose. That being said it doesn't sound frivolous. There is this energy to it however where it feels free. The much more intimate and sparse “Bring Me Flowers” is by far the most melancholy and reflective song yet. He follows that up with “The Rain” which piggybacks on that vibe with some additional samples of rain. “The Lucky Ones’ goes outwards towards the cosmos. The pads surround you and the whole song has an otherworldly type of quality. He gets back to earth with “Morning in America'' while the closer “For You Dear (Said the Ocean)” is a lush shoegaze infused sounding song. Last up is the pensive “The Moment.” This is a great album. The recording quality and songwriting felt top notch. It’s definitely an album that benefits most from having listened to it from beginning to end. Take a listen.
Jordan Wayne Lee is a musician who recently released Constructs of a Human Sanctuary. His music on this release are ambient soundscapes not unlike artists such as Fennesz, Stars of the Lid and Windy & Carl to name a few.
His music leans in to hypnotic and meditative patterns. It comes at you in waves. Some of it’s warm, some of it’s dissonant and all of it is surrounding. Up first is the transcendent and reflective “We are the sacred temple.” He does a great job on this, exploring the gray areas where the emotional resonance doesn't align with the limited framework of a single word like “joyous,” “sad” or “tender.” There is this sort of foundation of what you might call awe or wonder. After the sound emerges from the substrate the emotions bleed into each other through a foggy lens of interpretation. “In Entrance’ is lighter and ethereal. He punctures the sound not with fine points but with blurry edges where it has more resonance and keeps reflecting off frequencies between 200 and 500 hz. We hear reverb laced guitar on “Alleluia” which sounds like Sigur Rós is playing in a cavern. You however are not close but only hear the echoes from outside the Earth’s crust. This song is very singular and really more like mediation with micro movements that you won’t catch unless you are paying close attention. “A Quiet Benediction” tries to get closer to the source. It’s basically a sine wave with minor degrees of fluctuation. It reminded me of the recent track from Jon Hopkins “Singing Bowl” in how the reverberations ring out. Last but not least is the seventeen minute “The Solitary Hymn.” It’s a slow burn and probably the prettiest song in a lot of ways. Three is a sense of stillness and gratitude. I’ve loved this kind of music for over twenty years now. This was an easy win for me. If you aren’t familiar with the genre then take your time and make sure to listen on high quality speakers or headphones. Take a listen.
The Albatross consists of two brothers (Jake on guitar and Ben on drums) and a longtime friend Zack Stoudemayer on bass. Jake sings lead, though Zack and Ben sing a few songs, too. Ben and Zack have been in bands together since they were 13. The Albatross has been playing since 2007 and gigging since 2009. Birds of Paradise is their third studio album. Located in Columbia, South Carolina, the brothers have a love for old music and good pure rock n’ roll, especially from the ‘60s and ‘70s. They describe their style as power pop/blues rock somewhere along the lines of Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones meeting up with Big Star and The Who. Recorded at the University of South Carolina’s School of Music in Columbia, Birds of Paradise, the duo confesses, is a “happier” album than their last one. With positive lyrics and an upbeat sound, Ben and Jake were looking for a bigger sound (i.e. better bottom end bass, and kick drum). They got this bigger sound by playing in a gymnasium-sized studio with high ceilings. They both feel that this latest release does their new batch of songs justice much better than their previous album recordings and mixing quality.
Kicking things off is “I’ve Got (Nothing)” a steady power rocker with a catchy guitar lick, and a style that feels a little like early Weezer, Lemonheads and The Dead Milkmen. “Paradise” begins with an eerily familiar guitar lick (but I can’t quite recall what that song is) – anyway, it has the qualities of a Jimmy Page riff meeting up with alternative pop, country-like rock a la Big Star (jangly guitars included here). “To Malia” has got a groovy beat with a bit of a softer acoustic edge to it. Gentle use of the keyboard can be heard here, too. This one reminded me of the soft rock/teen pop numbers of the ‘70s. “Moonlight” was a fun treat to listen to. It’s definitely a toe-tapping, blues rocking number, that reminded me a little of “Ballroom Blitz” – if this doesn’t get you to at least bob your head, well…. Moving on to “Just Smile” – another power pop rocker that was really fun to listen to. Positive lyrics and a fun rhythm are just what we need these days. I was hearing bands like Slade, Sweet and The Bay City Rollers – I know odd, but hey, it works well here. “Set in Stone” adds a bit of grittiness to the band’s line up. This one has got a bluesier edge to it, which reminded me of some of the blues rock songs from the ‘70s. I swear I heard some cowbell in there, too. “Hurricanes & Rhum Punch” features a reggae rock rhythm, with a great bass line. More akin to a soulful, happier version of The Clash – if there is such a thing. “Back Door Man” has got one heck of an infectious guitar hook and a grittier style overall. There’s some funk going on here, too. I really enjoyed Ben’s use of the floor toms, they sounded so rich and full. In fact, I think the entire band’s use of their instruments are really strong and explosive here – great chemistry. I’d say this tune has the bluesy spirit of early Rolling Stone with the punkish mod sensibilities of The Who. Next up is “Crown of Lights” another fantastic fun song that’s more on the power pop side. Think a little Weezer, a little Beach Boys, (no surfing here, more like Pet Sounds). Last, we have “Movin’ On” – a tune that caught me by surprise. Strictly played on the acoustic, with the four players gathered around live mics – this one really moved me. Think of those old time-y, bluegrass tunes, but without the bluegrass format. This one’s way more contemporary, with influences from other artists. Don’t pass this one up, it was well worth the wait. As a whole, The Albatross has wonderful chemistry and I think their decision to record this album in a larger facility was definitely the right one. As musicians, I was hearing more than just a few of the classic rock acts of the ‘60s and ‘70s. This band has got variety, not to mention good control of their voices and instruments.
Eternal Turtle sounds like music that would come from a young guy's mind. I know this because I used to be one. The lyrics, sarcasm and delivery just feels like a young dude. The band explains that their self-titled album Eternal Turtle was influenced by alternative rock, punk, pop and grunge with a heavy ’90s influence. I grew up in the ’90s as a young music fan so this album felt familiar to me.
The songs are simple consisting mostly of minor and major chords, a 4/4 beat and a steady bass line. On that note it’s all about the spirit in which it’s delivered. They get going with “Interstate 95” which is about a road trip. The band delivers solid upbeat melodies and a decent amount of power pop. There is some resemblance to early Weezer. The vocal delivery is loose and fairly sarcastic and fun sounding. There are some serious Car Seat Headrest vibes on “Erikson, I'm your Case Study” which is mixed with the ’90s Weezer energy. On “Not Worth a Dime” there is a similar energy. “River Jelly” is a highlight. It's dynamic and shows some different sides to the band's sound as they change tempo and get a tad more technical. “City & Country” utilizes a sample of dispatch on a police officer call and the song felt a little darker than the previous songs. They try and get dramatic on “Mother” which felt weird given the tone earlier on the album. “Meteor” and “Liquid Courage” have their moments but it was “Life & Color” which showed the acoustic side to the band. This is a fun, lo-fi album. As an engineer myself I think a next step would be working with an engineer or producer. On that note this was a solid start and I wish them luck as they evolve.
FM Earl is the first solo rap project by Minnesotan artist Kevin Musliner. I’m familiar with some of his previous work but I have never heard rapping like I have on Over Influenced. The album contains a whopping thirty-three tracks. There aren’t nearly that many songs on the album however.
Sometimes you will find on hip-hop albums that a lot of filler is thrown into an album. Tracks which are under thirty seconds and at their best feel like an intro to a song. Musliner goes really hard in the paint with a lot of shorter tracks. You might have a couple of tracks like this in a row and half of them just felt random. There are recording snippets of everything, from Muhammad Ali to Breaking Bad, to the Looney Tunes soundtrack and to George Bush. I wasn’t really sure what a lot of these snippets were adding to the experience. They just seemed to be pop culture references. There are some solid songs that are pretty straightforward, relying on 4/4 type beats and built on samples. One of the highlights was “Venice (prod. GYVUS) feat. FM Earl” which had a ’90s aesthetics. At its best there are some similarities to A Tribe Called Quest and it is a loose, playful and sunny song. There are some old school vinyl scratches. Musliner is at his best when he is promoting good vibes. On “Double.Perfect (prod. j^p^n) feat. FM Earl” he goes darker and the vocal affectation sounded like LL Cool J. My favorite snippet of sound was “Quick Quiet (Prod. Nicolas Sales).” This album felt like it was wearing its influences on its sleeve but in a good way.. A lot of the songs felt like tips of the hat to a specific era in hip-hop or a specific artist. Some of it works better then others but in general I thought his best moments had the most in common with groups like The Pharcyde and Tribe. Take a listen. |
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