Rambler is the debut album by singer/songwriter Katie Sakanai, who records under the band name Denver City. Sakanai has been a kids’ music teacher in Colorado for nearly two decades, and this is her first solo creative endeavor. Sakanai sings and plays piano, joined on drums by mastering engineer Ben Pisano and some guitar and piano by arranger Jon Stubbs.
Sakanai states that these songs reflect her diverse musical influences, “probably born of listening to my mother's Carole King and James Taylor records as a child, plus my modern love of indie folk.“ Recording, mixing and mastering took place at The Band Cave in Denver, with production by Collin Ingram. Some albums that get assigned to me on Divide and Conquer are so good, I quickly use up all my free Bandcamp plays on Safari, Firefox and even my iPhone. This is one of those albums. It may be partly due to the fact that I’ve been a devoted fan of Dar Williams for decades, and Sakanai not only shares a similarity in voice, but in song structure as well. “Rambler” starts the album with Sakanai singing (gorgeously), with piano and acoustic guitar handled quite beautifully by Jon Stubbs. This song has a very distant echo of Irish traditional, and some of the harmonic majesty of the McGarrigle sisters. Sakanai says this song was composed one night after the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival and “reflects transitioning from one landscape to another, homesickness and working through difficult times.” “Not Exactly” pairs Sakanai on piano and vocals with Ben Pisano’s drums and percussion. The drums are so clean that I can’t be totally sure they’re real, but that doesn’t seem to matter. This song is much more active and has a catchy, irresistible folk-pop chorus. There are other uncredited instruments like electric guitar and synth that ornament the track nicely. The ending is abrupt, in a perfect way. “Heather Garden” musically feels like a classical version of Carly Simon. Sakanai employs a cleverly placed blue note in her vocals: “Goodbye to a summer city, no time for the sun to pain the DAY, just a beautiful shade of gray.” The song “Bluebird” was inspired by the Bluebird Theater in Denver. This is one of those old early 1900’s movie houses that’s been converted to a music venue (we have a few of these in California, too) and Sakanai wrote this tune “after seeing live music that really inspired me.” Of all the songs here, this is the one that most reminds me of Dar Williams in her Mortal City phase, along with a pinch of “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” from Jesus Christ Superstar. “Drought Year” switches gear a bit for a sound that recalls ‘80s era Nanci Griffith. It’s another love-lost song using the imagery of a beautifully inviting ocean suddenly left parched and dry. “Down and Out” is the first song where I detected the direct influence of Carole King, as Sakanai’s playing has a soft jazz swing, with the overdubs including an organ-sounding patch. Like most of these songs, Sakanai gives herself quite the vocal workout, moving from a near-whisper to a more aggressive stance, including perfect double-tracked harmonies. “Just one of those Days” dips a toe into gospel, with Sakanai taking an intimate and moving solo turn with just piano and vocal. Ending the album is a song about motherhood called “You bring Joy” that continues a tradition many singer/songwriters employ: bringing the kids into the studio for a sing-along. The song itself feels kid-friendly, and of course Sakanai’s children sound adorable, if not as polished as Mom. It’s hard to believe that an artist this talented is only just releasing their debut album. Absolutely worth checking out!
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Mellorine is a young artist from Lincoln, Nebraska who started to take music more seriously on his seventeenth birthday in early 2021. That concentrated effort would come to be his full length album entitled The Months I Missed.
He mentions “My biggest inspirations are Alex G and Elliott Smith, whose sounds I try to emulate more or less in some ways.” As a longtime Elliott Smith fan since the mid ’90s I did find some similarities to this music. “Rainbow Girl” is the opener and opens with an atmospheric groove. It’s a slightly psychedelic sounding song with some melancholy undertones. The vocals melodies are catchy and blend well with the arpeggiated synth. The band Deerhunter came to mind on this song. “Fast Food” is a solid song. The song is seeped in this slow moving groove that works well. On top of the melancholy is a feeling of solace. It’s comforting and inviting. The song also contains well done vocals and intricate guitar picking. “I Don't Know” has more of the Elliott Smith sound. It reminded me of the saloon style he would sometimes attempt. It might be the highlight of the album. The verse and chorus feel clearly defined on this song. I thought the piano sounded good and was pleasantly surprised by the saxophone later in the song. “Soother” was a good one as well. This song contains some of the most inventive guitar work. It sounds like there’s some filtering on the guitar at points which helps with some of the more dynamic moments when they arrive. “Honey” is an ethereal sounding song. I really liked some of the tones and textures he gets here. There’s this pretty beautiful section that’s very cerebral sounding and sounds shoegaze inspired which eventually fades to a lone guitar. Other elements start to lay on this canvas displaying some of the most unique production on the album. There are some high points as the album progresses. The dark but lush “Some Sort of Wine” was very dreamlike while the closer “The Connection Between the Brain and the Heart” is a tender and warm song that felt like a ballad. The songs are sometimes a little off time and I would have done some of the mixing differently. These issues are slight however. I thought this was a solid release. The artist is a young guy and hopefully this is just the beginning. Recommended.
Elijah Taylor of Hamilton, Ontario has an interesting story of how his new EP titled The Bulrush came to be.
Taylor began his musical journey by playing in a hard rock duo called The Paisley Stares, that shared the stage with pop-punk and metal bands. However he always yearned to join the Hamilton songwriting scene, so he began experimenting with Americana toward a new LP. However, while recording THAT album, Taylor asked producer Brent Moerschfelder if they could record an acoustic EP in a day and have it released that afternoon. The producer was amenable, so Taylor recorded in Moerschfelder’s farmhouse bedroom, going for an “open” sound that includes birds and motorcycle sounds leaking in from a nearby window (though I didn’t really hear any of this). Two cover songs were learned on the spot. Taylor calls the resulting collection “a spontaneous squall of creativity that was the truest recreation I’ve heard so far of the music inside me. Brent got the most beautiful acoustic sound I’ve ever heard.” “On a Train Facing Backward” starts off in Leo Kottke mode, with circular acoustic riffs interlaced with snake-like runs on Taylor’s Telecaster, recorded direct-in from a Tone Master amp. It’s a short track (barely two minutes) with a fairly simple construction, but it sounds amazing, with the small variations counting for a lot. I’m guessing that “Blues Tonight” is a new folk-rock song meant for Taylor’s upcoming full-length album, but Taylor says “I was just dying to get it out.” Of course there’s no drums here but the tempo is nonetheless propulsive and insistent, while Taylor’s vocals seem to have been conjured up from the soil beneath the studio floorboards: earthy and heartfelt. The Telecaster adds all sorts of twangy color. The bones of this song are solid and it will make a great fully-produced track, since it already works so well here. “It Can’t Be Nashville Every Night” is a vocal cover tune that Taylor “spent an hour figuring out the chord progression for.” I’m not familiar with the five writers, but it’s a great song in the dramatic tradition of Glen Hansard. The Telecaster guitar is again a perfect partner to Taylor’s beautifully strummed acoustic and sincere vocals. “Bulrush” is the final vocal original by Taylor, and it feels like something he’s rehearsed for days. Dark, minor key folk is paired with dramatic strumming and singing. The repeated refrain “I want a girl who tells me I know how to dance” rang true with me, as I’ve certainly had the exact opposite kind! The collection ends with a cover of Paul Simon’s “Graceland.” With the wild flourishes of the twangy Telecaster, I guess you could call it the Americana or country version. Taylor nails this tune just as well as the others and it’s a nice way to finish. Taylor has delivered way more than a preview of the music we might expect from his upcoming album, with a short but fine EP that totally stands on its own.
Grant Sutton is an artist based in Chicago, IL since 1998. He’s played in a majority of bands during his musical career. This is Sutton’s first solo acoustic album. Titled Coffee with the dog, he packs in an intimate vibe, oftentimes with just him singing on his guitar as well as sounds of birds chirping since this was clearly early in the morning and when Sutton had set out to record most of these songs in his yard. Singing in close proximity to the mic and with just him on his guitar, gave this a very up-close-and-personal vibe. What Sutton has here are honest and profound acoustic songs that definitely felt very refreshing to these ears.
Coffee with the dog gets started with “25 to life,” where the sounds of birds chirping in the background adds a sort of ambience to the sound of the acoustic guitar. Sutton joins the guitar from the get-go. The sound is very immediate. The warmth coming from this recording made for an intimate performance. More acoustic guitar comes in on “Agree to disagree.” I was getting a country-bent twang here. Some dog barks and sounds of children chit-chatting adds some ambience to this acoustic track. Sutton’s vocals come in loud and clear alongside the guitar on “Times goes by fast.” The sound was once again warm and embracing. More appealing guitar chord progressions come in on “Be like dad.” The sparse and stripped back sound really made this song. More ambient sounds come from the guitar and Sutton’s harmonious vocals on “Watching you drown.” Sutton performs with feeling on this song. Fast guitar chord progressions come in on “Vampire girl.” I was reminded of a country hoe-down here. This upbeat and revved track comes in with some great energy as the comical lyrics reel you in. On “Bottle of booze,” once more Sutton comes in with some whimsical and comical lyrics for this track. This proved to be a drinking song, where the artist sings with warmth and feeling. There’s some reverb in this track with the sounds of a plane flying overhead. On “Always be my baby,” some sparse electric guitar riffs come into the start of this song. Sutton’s vocals arrive, brimming with melody and harmony. Next, the stripped back sound clears up for a full band undertaking. I thought this was a total 180 from the band.. I was getting ‘50s and ‘60s rock n’ roll vibes right away. Revved strumming on the acoustic guitar comes in on “No violence no revenge.” Once Sutton’s vocals enter, the old-timey and classic sense to his vocals arrives to great effect. I thought this was a flavorful and memorable way to end the album. Sutton says in his bio that he set out to write simple folk songs every morning first thing. Because, according to Sutton, early morning is when he feels he is at the peak of his creativity. Gradually, as the day goes on, he feels his creativity wans a little as he’s a little worn out by the workday and begins to second guess himself. So, to take advantage of the start of the day, he wakes up bright and early when the birds are still singing to do some field recordings on his phone. Not all the recordings on this album are field recordings, some are done in the studio, but all the same, Sutton manages to infuse the warmth of his acoustic set into these tracks as well. All in all, I think Sutton is able to pull off the sound he is going for. Coffee with the dog has it all here!
Becoming Blue is a duo from Columbia, South Carolina, and have known each other for about sixteen years. Although they worked with music in the past, the formation of Becoming Blue was more recent. That would eventually lead to a full length ten-song self-titled album Becoming Blue.
They mix elements of rock and pop into songs that are usually high energy. The songs felt inviting and often had a sense of familiarity to them. They start the album with “I'm Taking It Back” which is an empowering rock song. It starts with a declaration “So I’m taking it back / My dignity / My power and my pride / No holding back.” The song is dynamic and quickly goes from a subdued verse to a rocking chorus. “This Life” is a power pop rock song. The songs contain intricate guitar work, catchy vocal melodies and a lot of variation. It’s a positive song and at its heart is a love song that displays gratitude and warmth. “I Choose You” is similar in sentiment but this is a warm melancholy song that’s intimate. This also felt like the most pop oriented song. The feeling is a bit saccharine and wholesome but they pull it off if you're in that type of mood. The title track “Becoming Blue” presented another side to the duo. This song mixes in a good amount of synths. The arpeggiated synths twirl around and build to an explosive chorus. This is also very much a pop song and arguably the most single-worthy out of the batch. “It's Not You, It's Me” has a mysterious and haunting verse that leads into a pop worthy chorus. I loved the organ here. The chorus changes the whole mood of the song and feels very empowering similar to other songs on the album. “Capture the Mountain” is a Celtic sounding song that came out of nowhere.The orchestral strings were very well done here. In fact the instrumental aspects might be my favorite of any song. “Road Home” is more subdued and introspective in some ways while “Petunia’ is a stripped back folk song revolving around acoustic guitar and vocals with a heavy sense of nostalgia. “Desert” is a pretty straightforward acoustic song that’s a bit of a slow burn while the closer “I Choose You” is an acoustic version of the previous song. My only critique is that the band jumps around a lot in terms of style. It was hard to find a signature sound when thinking about this album as a whole because it’s so varied. The instrumental aspects were very well done. There’s a lot to appreciate from that alone. Overall, I found these to be well written songs that should appeal to a lot of people. Take a listen.
The Purple Mice is a group of different artists who started to work together in a musical project around Andrea Pizzo’s voice. The idea was to create a concept album about the universe and our deepest dreams. They recently released Potatoes on Mars which is an eleven-song album.
The album begins with “Keep On Searching.” The song starts with atmosphere and vocals. I liked the vocals including the accent even though Pizzo struggles to hit some of the higher notes. The song took an unexpected turn and became a little more playful with a rock vibe. It’s a solid song with some catchy melodies. The guitar solo is impressive. It reminded me a bit of Brian May. “Song of Nothing” is next and you are greeted with twilight. A classical sounding guitar combines with sparkling elements which really make this song feel like you’re stargazing. It’s a poetic song with existential undertones. The band does a 180 with “Among The Stars” which is a very funky song. It’s a dance worthy song with a ’70s bass line, wah guitar and other elements. Pizzo does a solid job with the singing even though there are again some higher notes which barely land. The most interesting part of the song is the breakdown which rumbles with percussion and what sounds like samples from a rocket launch. It sounded like world music. The band continues with moves I wasn’t expecting. “Potatoes on Mars” gets rid of seriousness and in fact sounds a bit like a song geared for young children to sing along with. “Jupiter and the Galilean Moons” is very cinematic and cosmic sounding. It feels like it is trying to create a sense you are launching into space. “Go Fishing in the Ocean of Enceladus” is a ballad that seems to have a couple singers. It’s one of the highlights on the album. “Pale Blue Dot” has more of Eastern rhythm and tone mixed with a bit of fantasy. As the album progresses the album contains some highlights. “Masters of the Galaxy” is an intense rock song with an ’80s vibe while closer “Starship To Heaven” has arguably the most memorable chorus. The album is a little uneven when considering the sequential order. Some of the stylistic choices felt a little out of place. That being said, I thought there were a number of high points. The rock based songs seemed to be the strength of the band but they often also excel at creating soundscapes. Overall, there’s a lot to appreciate about this release. Take a listen.
Tom Markey is a musician who has been playing in bands since 1985. Markey mentions “I hadn’t written or performed in years, having raised a family, but when I found myself stuck at home and out of work, like so many people during the beginning of the pandemic, I turned back to my music.” The result would be Pale Ontology. It is the story of Markey’s life in Austin. He says the songs were all written between 1990 and 2000, but were recorded at home, during the ongoing pandemic.
“Light and Heavy” is the opening song and begins with a 4/4 beat, a bass line, reverb-laced guitar and what sounds like organ. The song is lush and atmospheric but still has a solid groove to hold onto. It’s a moody song, I wouldn’t call it upbeat but isn’t a downer either. “Worker's Lament” is next and is a little brighter. The song revolves around jangly guitar chords and kinetic rhythm section. This song had one of my favorite riffs on the album. The song seems to be about the general trial and tribulations of being a person. Markey sings “I’m much too young to feel this way / And everyone I know is acting just the same / So how could it just be me / Still I could be projecting Instead of introspecting.” “Little Bird” was a highlight. I thought the mixing on this song was good. The vocals felt nice and snug between the instruments. On top of that I would say this is one of the catchiest songs. The vocal melodies are memorable and there’s also some impressive lead guitar. It’s a fun and upbeat song that should put you in a good mood. “Walls” was an interesting song. The guitars are clean and the chord progressions are unique. There are some smooth transitions and a lot of them. It’s one of the more dynamic songs in the album.“Stepping Back” has its moments. The ’90s alternative vibe felt more infused with this song. There’s a very cool build around a minute-and-a-half in that peaks and then slows down to this serene and tranquil breakdown. This leads to an explosive crescendo where the drums are in overdrive. “Relations” has some very cool guitar work.The reverb, distortion and strumming style give the song more of a shoegaze aesthetic. “A Guess” feels like a plea for connection when Markey sings “Something full of comfort / Something to believe in / Somebody to pray to / Somebody who answers / But nobody answers.” “Dishwasher” is a short but catchy song while “Complaining” is a classic rock inspired groove that feels like it would sound perfect on a Saturday night. Last up is “Aggravated Cultivation” and this song has some of the best vocal delivery. It felt like another highlight. The recording quality was a little lo-fi at times but overall was solid for a home recording. There’s a good mix of songs here which surprisingly, given how far apart may have been written, sound cohesive. Overall, there’s a lot to appreciate here. Take a listen.
Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.
Artist Album Rating Shattered Rainbows Ephemera 3.7 Our Time Here <> 3.7 Music Machine Music Machine EP 3.8 BLOODMERIDIAN This Is What Dying Is. 3.7 Mr. Brehman Chemistry 3.6
The All Night Boogie Band is an aptly-named group formed out of the Burlington, Vermont college basement show scene. They’ve just recorded their debut LP Taste These Blues at the University of Vermont Music Department studio. The members are Jessica Leone (vocals), Brendan Casey (guitar), Van Garrison (keys), Bruno John (bass) and Zach Santos (drums). The horn section features Sam Atallah (trumpet), Thaya Zalewski (saxophone) and Leo Fish (trombone). They first hit Vermont’s live music scene in September of 2021, playing a sold out gig at Higher Ground and hosting a residency at Nectar’s.
The band describe themselves as “the best of all American music thrown into one soup.” Besides their obvious blues influences, they also touch on R&B, soul, ’60s rock n’ roll, folk and jazz. Similar groups include the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones meets Elmore James, BB King, Otis Redding and Chuck Berry. In that way, their purposely retro album cover is totally fitting. Guitarist Casey is the chief songwriter, with some help from vocalist Leone. The album was mastered by keyboardist Van Garrison. Interesting that the band compares themselves to the Tedeschi Trucks Band, as I’m seeing Susan Tedeschi live in just two days. Jessica Leone’s voice definitely has a Tedeschi quality, and in “Kick You When You’re Down” the players fill the sound space with the barrage of a full-on blues band. Vocals and guitar are prominent, but still leave plenty of space for piano (nice solo here), bass, drums and especially horns. “I’ve Paid My Dues” quickly slows down the tempo for a torchy vamp, where the imaginary club in our heads is filled with bluish smoke and stale whisky. As such, it’s a perfect showcase for a killer vocal turn by Leone, along with another fine piano break by Van Garrison. Brandan Casey takes us home with a great B.B. King-style guitar solo. “A Little More Time” is medium tempo blues-pop with a great sing-along chorus and cool tremolo guitar riffs. “Nothing Wrong with Feeling Blue” starts with all instruments kind of “trilling” on the same note that ended the previous song, as if to build anticipation. No real surprise when this song becomes a classic 12 bar blues, because that’s what this band does! Given almost nine minutes to stretch out, this one is both bluesy and smooth jazzy at the same time, with a lot of laid-back jamming in the second half. “Taste These Blues” wears its Stones influence on its sleeve, especially the Exile and Sticky Fingers eras. The piano, horns and guitar move the tune along while Leone belts out another amazing vocal performance, so let’s just allow that she’s that good ALL the time. Casey takes a fuzzy slide solo that totally satisfies. A mid-album favorite! “A Woman Like I” slows way down for a true ballad, starting with quietly understated guitar and vocals, gradually building power like Janis used to do. Love the use of volume dynamics in this song, where it sometimes goes full-tilt before quieting down again. Another nice Casey lead solo marks the mid-point. “The River Song” is a 12-minute epic co-written with keyboardist Van Garrison. It starts in a gently folky style, with Garrison not surprisingly adding some genuinely sweet, classically influenced piano work. The horn section seemingly went out for a smoke break, and for anyone who was getting blues fatigue, this tune has a bit of a Vince Guaraldi jazz feel that nicely expands the Boogie Band sound. Casey takes a twangy guitar solo with his amp near overload. The album ends in more traditional territory with Elmore James’ classic “Shake Your Money Maker.” If you’re a fan of blues and smokin’ hot female vocals, click on that Bandcamp link without delay!
Aaron Ball has been busy touring and has gone on to share the stage with such acts like Daughtry, Andy Grammar, The Band Perry, Rob Thomas, Train and Shinedown. With his latest recording Certainties, Ball, who is backed by his full band “the Aaron Ball Band,” are taking on the Rocky Mountain Country Music genres with their own unique take of the aforementioned umbrella: Idaho-country rock. This is Ball’s interpretation of the North American country lifestyle in the shadows of the jagged Rocky Mountains.
Certainties opens up with “Damascus,” where rollicking guitar chord progressions come in on this track. Some synths and percussion also sound out in the background. I thought his sound mixes country and rock n’ roll into one dynamic ball of music. He reminded me of bands like Train, Matchbox 20 and Shinedown. Ball definitely imparts a lot of warmth and feeling into this song. On the title track “Certainties,” once the music and vocals came in, proved to be an emotional powerful ballad. The sound all came together for an effective vibe.“Bad Decisions” starts off to the sound of some horns. This gave this track a Jamaican and tropical vibe. I was loving this new side to the band that they show. The keys and wonky vibes really gave off a flavorful twist. Simply to the tune of the acoustic guitar and some organ, the sound is sauntering at first on “Beer Before Whiskey.” The meandering melody builds for a while, feeling very country in vibe. I enjoyed how easy-going the vibes felt here. “Lucky One” felt like another acoustic number. With simply the guitar and percussion, there was tons of mood and feeling on this song. I thought this was an emotionally powerful way to end the album. What comes across is a dynamic blend of country and rock music found in the ‘90s and ‘00s. I thought his music reminded me a lot of Goo Goo Dolls, Gavin DeGraw and Third Eye Blind. With that being said, I think Ball also brings something unique to the table as well, with his great vocal styles and captivating musicianship on the guitar. The band supporting him also sounds great as well, reeling listeners in with their tight-knit grooves. All in all, this was a shining work from the artist and I hope to see more soon. |
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