Driftknot is based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by Chris Burgess in 2019 as a means to pursue personal sonic ramblings, Driftknot showcases a mix of ambient, electronic and alternative musical styles. The artist’s six-song debut Deep North was recorded and mixed in a home studio and mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering. As Burgess states, “Deep North is a love letter to the Pacific North West's natural beauty, diverse landscapes and moody weather patterns.” Get ready all ambient sonic sounds fans, I think Driftknot has exactly what you’re looking for.
In the opener “Deep North” comes sounds from the outside, two overlapping acoustic guitars, perhaps a rain stick or two with all kinds of percussion in between, and a deep, resonating bass melody. The rhythm starts to pick up a bit late, with the addition of another guitar taking a “solo lead” of sorts, and some rather angelic-like, haunting backing vocals. The overlaying textures just kept getting better as I listened more – I’m hooked already. “Storm I.” has a lot of mystery to it. Starting off slow and moody, like some impending torrential thunderstorm about to wreak havoc at any moment, Driftknot taps into a somber, but dramatic ambient style with synths and other keyboard effects taking center stage. Next is “Aggregate” – a highly stylized, techno/electronic treat, reminding me of the Trent Reznor’s work on Ghosts I-IV. The mix between electronic percussion, beats, heavy key effects and haunting tensions were fantastic. Opposite in style and structure of “Storm I” is “Storm II.” With more percussion, heavy electronic beats, dramatic symphony-like keys and a few guitar cues here and there, this definitely had a different approach than the previous part. The tension within builds up towards the end till the instrumentation just drops out and leaves you hanging. “Hibernate” drives along with a slow, echoing beat and low, brooding keys. With extra keys added, a moody guitar and bass melody and overall slow progression, it makes me wonder what the Cure would have sounded like if they went down the ambient musical road, rather than new wave/goth pop back in the early ‘80s. The last track on the EP is “Sacred” – which starts off with a gentle, echoing piano and what sounds to me like a shamisen (a traditional Japanese guitar, which I think, has only three strings to it). Gentle percussive sounds accompany the piano’s melody, along with added synth textures and what sounds like a mix of either ocean waves and/or rain coming down as the song ends. Driftknot’s (aka Chris Burgess) first venture takes all the great aspects of ambient soundscapes and electronic music and colors them with instrumental imagery of his Pacific Northwest surroundings, taking the listener into a world far from the noise of today.
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AJ John is a 22-year-old musician from Atlanta, GA. After graduating from Woodward Academy in 2016, he went on to Georgia Tech and received his BS in Computer Science in 2020. He divides his time between working as a software developer and writing, recording and performing music in his free time. He is primarily a drummer and singer, but he also lends his chops playing guitar, bass and piano as well. Music has been an integral part of his life growing up. He started taking piano lessons when he was five and travelled the world singing as a member of the Georgia Boy Choir through his childhood and teenage years. During his high school and college years, he was very active in marching and jazz bands, and briefly played drums in the short-lived pop outfit Millennial Pink and co-founded the band LastNameFirst. John currently brings to the table his latest offering Till The End Of Time.
Though at its heart, the album is a rock n’ roll record, the songs on the album also veer into hard rock and metal territory. What is undeniable is the classic rock influences that permeate the sounds of this record. John never loses sight of his influences. While he names his two main inspirations as Peter Furler and Dave Grohl, at its core, a lot of the sound stems from a vibe reminiscent of ‘60s/’70s era of rock music. John brings the vintage sounds of rock bands of another time, all the while pushing the genre forward well into a new decade of rock music. Till The End Of Time gets going with “Take It Back.” The guitar riffs slowly build with the help of drums and bass lines. The vibe is revving once John’s vocals comes in. The band rocks long and hard throughout the courses of the track. Following is “Legacy,” where pensive noodling on the acoustic guitar struts in. The track contains anthemic instrumentals. The combined vocal harmonies were very soulful and I could feel myself being carried away by the music. A smooth transition follows from the previous track as the last line “…find your destiny” then segues into aptly enough, “Destiny.” Shimmering guitars roll forth on this number. The band seems invested in jamming out as they throw themselves into the music, playing with enthused fervor. The band really gets moving with more guitars on “Show You Who I Am.” They really load on the sound, layering the drum fills with toxic vocals reverberating with a gritty vibe. This song covers a harder sound than seen in the previous songs. I thought the energy really picked up here. Right off the bat, the vocals come in alongside a melancholy-tinged piano melody on “Requiem.” I could really feel the emotions brimming from this track. The mood builds and the music becomes more impactful toward the 1:30 minute mark, going for a more full-throttle sound. More revved guitars add to the driven rock sounds on “Forward.” The bouncy drumming beats and soaring vocals add to the fire. On the title track, a playful piano melody trickles in. John’s vocals eventually join in the piano segment. The tune was easy to follow and had a great sing-along feel to it. The album closes with epic-sounding synths and anthems-driven guitar work on “Fearful Symmetry.” John’s operatic vocals hail the maelstrom and the music sweeps in, bombarded with a theatrical and revved sound. While John’s sound does take away a lot from the sounds and styles of old school rock n’ roll, I was hoping while listening to the record that he would add more of his own take to the music. But this doesn’t seem to happen on the scale that I was hoping for. It turns out he very much plays by the rules of Rock 101 on this album. But in certain instances, I could feel him breaking away from the mold with a wild growl here and there and snippets of random chord progressions that really gave the recording less of a rounded feel and more of the carefree abandon and slightly off-kilter vibe that is rooted in any true rock sound. I could really feel this especially in moments when the band really throws themselves into the music, jamming to their hearts’ content. As John states in his biography, his songs are about the journey. And so is music in a lot of ways. The album is a solid step forward and if anything, this should only be the beginning for the artist. I look forward to seeing where he goes next with his sound.
Unheard Immunity is a project based in England that recently released a ten-song self-titled album Unheard Immunity. This is a hard album to classify because the songs often jump genres. The artist mentions, “The album tracks sound quite different to each other so I would say there are a few different genres. Some of the tracks contain voice samples from some of my favorite B-movies and/or news items that have caught my attention during the lockdown period.”
The first song “C. Mitchell Esq” sounds almost exactly like the music you might hear in a ’70s buddy cop movie. It’s got a generic quality but I don’t say that in a pejorative way. As the music progresses there are samples from what sounds like older TV shows. “Bella Vista” almost felt like an extension of the first track. The feeling I was getting here was a little more subdued and atmospheric but something about it still had a ’70s flavor to it. There are some transitions I wasn’t exactly expecting. “Where is Home?” is where we get into very different territory. The music sounded like something from The Bladerunner soundtrack. There are arpeggiated synths and more which create a very sci-fi sounding track. “Power Is Total” is a hard one to nail. The music is sort of playful and even silly at times and other times not. There is a sample of Donald Trump speaking throughout the track. ”A Walking Catfish?!?” is darker and very thematic as if you are walking to a computer generated enchanted forest while “Exclusive!” is about as close as you will get to a ta more traditional rock song. “Cosmic Unconsciousness” is a longer jam session that felt like a mix of prog and classic rock in some way. The somewhat hilariously titled “2020 Can Funk Itself” has its moments as well. Trump is back on the somewhat epic “Reach for the Bleach” which basically put vocal samples from the news front and center as atmospheric computer generated music surrounds it. “Red, White and Blues” winds down the night with a more blues oriented track. This album is diverse but the instrumental aspects along with the samples do create a cohesive quality. Take a listen.
In Life is a collaboration between Oakland musicians Omar Martin and Nick Noro. The band recently released a six-song self-titled EP In Life.
The first song is entitled “Strawberry Blonde” and revolves around lots of reverb, guitar, drums and synths. It starts with an almost old time classic rock vibe. The lyrics are catchy and the guitar progression is a classic, timeless one that has been used in rock since the early days. “Hole in the Ground” reminded me of MGMT at least in terms of the production they were trying to accomplish. There are some well placed synths as the song progressed and some of the vocals had a David Bowie type of quality to them. The chorus is catchy and psychedelic. “Christ 1” is more like progressive, psychedelic rock with a Tame Impala type of vibe. They get really electronic on “Intake” which ends up sounding like a shoegaze inspired song. “Still Care” is a high energy song that had its moments. The closer was “Pandemick” and it also was the highlight in the batch. It was a hard song to pinpoint and I enjoyed the off kilter vocal approach. My main critique was just that this release was very lo-fi. As an engineer myself I would say this is the area they should focus on moving forward. I think working with an engineer who has some technical knowledge would help immensely with the mixing in particular and how to create separation between the instruments. Musically, I thought there were a lot of interesting ideas. Their songs have a lot of different influences from rock, to electronic, to hip-hop and more. It reminded me of old school Beck in a way where he combines all these different styles into his sound. I thought this was a solid release and hopefully just the beginning for the duo.
David & Goliat is a band from Sweden that is led by David Billström. Back in May of last year the band released an eight-song self-titled album David & Goliat. There were a mix of flavors and styles on this album. On that note the songs felt straightforward once I had an idea of the sort of classic sound they were going for.
“Beauty's Only Skin Deep” is the opening track and certainly has the right energy to get your attention. This song actually felt like classic Americana to me in the spirit of John Mellencamp or Tom Petty. The lyrics and sort of warm nostalgia and embrace really seemed to be the emotional center of the song. “Heart Of Stone” is next and I loved the beginning instrumental work which reminded me of the band Pulp. The song is more subdued than the opener and more melancholy. I thought this vibe worked very well for his vocal inflection. The chorus is also very familiar sounding and was instantly catchy the first time I heard it. “Lovers On The Run” was motivational yet also dark sounding to me. There was this '80s vibe going with this song and that had to do with the choice of reverb, the use of synths and even the sound of the lead guitar. I was really not expecting “From Now” because it sounded very different in style. It’s more of a country/folk ballad. There are some really nice vocal harmonies and the song brings back Bob Dylan nostalgia when the harmonica comes out. “You Reap Just What You Sow” is a huge sound. I’m a sucker for overly happy and celebratory music and this song pulls it off. In fact this is the arguable highlight in the batch. He sort of rolls with the upbeat vibe on “Blissful Ignorance.” We go into ballad mode with “In This Together” which felt like a B-side from The Beatles. There was a sense of familiarity with the chord structure and even the lyrics and vocals. He closes with an intimate “Our Love's On The Line '' which sounded like a counterpart to “From Now.” My only critique is this album felt like a couple different artists. For instance on “From Now” and on “Our Loves On the Line” you can hear a noticeable affectation where he leans into the archetype of the pained folk/country artist. On other songs that affectation is not found. This album felt like a display of the band’s versatility. I do admit I’d be interested in hearing them hammer down on a signature and singular sound in the future. I thought this was a really good album all things considered. The songwriting, delivery and production was top notch and there were some individual songs which I felt were exceptional. Recommended.
John Morton has long worked in the Chicago music scene. Post Radio is his solo recording project. Counterfeits, his debut, is a true solo effort: he is the lone writer and performer on this eleven-song set.
He describes the album as “indie rock, indie electronic, and ambient noises”, which is a fair place to start. On Counterfeits you’ll find lots of drum loops and layered keyboards, with appropriate guitar work, building a full, almost mystical sound. Within the album, Morton achieves some particularly creative synth tones. Many sounds were familiar yet unique: for instance, you’d think he was playing a piano (e.g. on “Dreamers”), but it was something just different and yet still very pleasing to the ear. Counterfeits starts us with the instrumental “B. I. Madison”, a slow, keyboard-and-noise overture to ease us into the proceedings. Then whammo, right into the danceable big beat of “Spies on the Hillside”, with its trance-y vocals and chunka-chunka guitar. The string parts add to the tension throughout as they move higher and lower in the mix. The melancholy lyrics introduce Morton’s themes for the record: loss of youth, paranoia, futility, and doubt. These are well-described, and his choice of words communicates easily, without being overbearing or over-literal. Unfortunately, this track also introduces some issues with the mix, or the mastering. The big beat--the bass drum, in particular--is so big that it distorts my speakers. The distortion reappears on “Buzzing Creatures” and “There, After”, so it may be purposeful; purposeful or not, I found it distracting, and had to pause these tracks to clear my head (and my find my sumatriptan). Other tracks (the excellent “Stereos and Holograms”) have the big beat, and the mix is great, so there’s either a technical glitch or a conscious choice that I didn’t understand. Back to the music. “Stereos and Holograms”, as mentioned, is one of the top tracks on Counterfeits. It’s a minor-key dance tune, with layers of synths and lovely melodic counterpoints throughout. Think Saint Motel, but darker. “Into the Tide” is a winner, too. It feels like waking up in a Scottish field, with the sun washing over me. Morton elicits bagpipe-type tones out of his keyboards as he builds the track into an upbeat rocker with mystical, chant-like vocals. On the outro, he intones “I wanted to believe the tide was always on my side”. Me too. Well put. My other top track is the wistful, dirge-like “So Long” combines acoustic guitar and atmospheric keyboards with a modern drum loop. The musical theme returns with sound variations, and the lyric offers a nice twist too. Morton says, “if I’m counterfeit / then please let me fake my way through this”. There’s no faking on this LP--he’s created beautiful music that channels and expresses tough feelings. While I’d love to hear a remix, I wouldn’t change a note otherwise.
The tagline reads: “Just two losers from West Auckland writing some songs.” That’s Mismatch – a duo from Auckland, New Zealand consisting of singer Lia Gianelle and instrumentalist Nishan Shrestha. After spending many years playing music together for various other bands, the duo decided to write some songs together and share them with others. Their self-titled EP Mismatch features drums, which were recorded in their old high school’s rehearsal room. Everything else – guitars, bass, vocals and other percussion – was all done in a bedroom. The mixing and mastering were also done there by Shrestha. The initial song idea came from a challenge the band set for themselves in 2019, to write 12 songs by the end of the year, just for fun. By year’s end, they took their five favorite songs and recorded them with the intent of sharing them.
Most of the recording was done with minimal gear in a “retrofitted” studio. For the most part, they were happy with the results. In keeping with their DIY spirit, the duo fashioned each song to be “immersive but authentic” where “you can put headphones on and get lost, but it would still sound real, it would still sound like us.” The duo also wanted the collection of songs to flow like a story, rather than just be a “collection of songs.” Some of the influences for the recording include Dodie, IV of Spades, Billie Marten, Foo Fighters and John Mayer, while the sound/production quality was influenced by the records of Norah Jones, Adele, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lorde. Starting out is “C’est le vie” a happy sounding tune right out of the gate, with Gianelle on vocals and Shrestha playing what sounds like a ukulele. The mellow, swinging nature of the tune reminds me of Fiona Apple’s debut, but this tune has a much lighter, carefree flavor. The song’s feeling evokes being deeply in love. “Bedhead” carries a steadier, faster beat with a pop/rock indie flavor. Something about this duo reminds me of the old school love songs of Carole King, even though there is no real piano presence here, but their songwriting has a yearning and purity about it that’s genuine. Next is “Less than Enough” a song that has the least amount of words than any on the record, but on second thought, it seems that the words were left out on the band’s Bandcamp site. A nice, breezy and gentle number in contrast to the previous number. “Woodside Rd” begins with a bright guitar and vocal intro. The song’s melody, vocal harmonies are what caught my ears the most, as well as the way the band mixed up a rock/pop sound, kind of a Foo Fighters meets Adele approach – a very memorable number overall. The last tune “Goat God” is all acoustic, and the riff and rhythm is quite catchy, a little bluesy in fact. Shrestha’s guitar prowess is really great on this tune and the ending chord played was brilliant. The band’s lyrics suggest some kind of predicament where a “devil” woman heretic, or “faithful” religious charlatan, meets her fate and purpose in life. This DIY Auckland duo has got great chemistry, and their decision to share their music with others was not mismatched here – looking forward to hearing more.
Frank Passantino is the person behind Library Hours. His self-released self-titled release Library Hours contains five songs. On his Bandcamp page he describes it as a screamo solo project.
The EP gets going with “Faceplant” and his label as screamo certainly seems justified within the first minute. I literally couldn’t understand a word that he was screaming. It really takes over the song to such a degree I wasn't focusing on the very cool instrumental parts. The screaming is usually manic and aggressive. It often sounds like he is in pain and this is the cathartic scream.. Up next is “Sink” and it opens with some great musical instrumentation. It was again hard to concentrate on that however as soon as the ultra intense vocal screaming came into the mix. That being said I loved the intensity. He takes it down a couple of notches on “Better Luck Next Year” which ends up sounding like pop punk with more slurred words that don’t have much separation between them. “NYC Sweater” was so lo-fi and distorted at times I couldn’t make out much besides white noise, vocals and a distant drum beat. “Burden” is also lo-fi but also had some great melodies and emotion. As an engineer myself I would say this release was occasionally too lo-fi for me to analyze properly. I think working with an engineer and producer would be an obvious next step so the tracks can be treated for more fidelity. That being said his talent still shined and really loved his approach. I was impressed he handled this all on his own. The instrumentation was often underplayed and he has some skills as a guitarist and drummer. I would say he could utilize his vocals a little differently in terms of the engineering and delivery in a way where the whole package could gain equal attention instead of just the often dynamic vocals. Overall, this album has some really good songs and ideas. I think working with a full band would be an interesting next step as well. This felt like a project that would benefit from playing live in a room with other people at some point. I wish him luck in his evolution with this project.
A Little More Life is a concept album from A Straw Assembly. The duo is based in Auckland, New Zealand, and their LP is based on Hanya Yanagihara’s novel A Little Life. In creating their album, A Straw Assembly tells us they “attempt to convey the diversity of mental states experienced in the novel,” and suggest that the listener play the ten tracks in order. While it’s a concept album (and holds together in that context), each track stands on its own, as well.
I must confess that I haven’t read A Little Life, and therefore cannot comment on the musical portrayal of the characters vs. their literary counterparts. In any event, the vocals are fairly buried in the mix, so I couldn’t necessarily understand the storyline. Hey, it worked for Exile. However, as a listener you do not need the novel as a guidebook for the LP. The music takes you on an emotional journey all by itself, and the sound of the lyrics complements the band’s work to deliver the feeling. For instance, in “Siege” the vocals soar and ask--I think--“What have I done?” as the lush orchestration pushes and pulls underneath. The emotion is clear and tangible. Lush orchestration is a key feature throughout A Little More Life. The tracks are full of life and sound, with different tones and instruments weaving their way in and out. Horn lines abound. “A Saint is Divided” features sitar and banjo playing chromatic parts around a snaky distorted-guitar riff. There are dramatic guitar solos (those on “Siege” and “Rollcall” stand out), strings (everywhere) and swirling organs (“Rollcall”). The mandolin and trumpet on the “Hiroki’s Bench” are stellar. A Straw Assembly explores a few musical different styles as well. The first four tracks are harder-edged rock, before downshifting to “Lispenard St,” an acoustic country number. “Me Oh My,” probably my favorite track, is a horn-driven party track with thickly layered guitars, thudding drums and keyboards (including some fun honky-tonk piano). The rich vocal harmonies sound great here (though I have no clue on the lyrics, and again it just doesn’t matter). The dramatic “Kintsukuroi Crumble” is a fine cap to the LP. A Little More Life is a terrific release. It’s a testament to the musicianship of the band that they are able to convey a full range of emotion across a few different musical styles. Whether you’re a fan of concept albums or not, A Straw Assembly gives you something to enjoy here.
Joel David Weir is a singer/songwriter from Indiana. He is a twenty-year veteran of the independent/Americana scene in the midwest who has gained a faithful following from his focus on personal connection through music and wide influences that draw in fans of many genres. He recently released My Quarantina which is a five-song EP.
Weir has a story I’m sure most of us can empathize with. Suffice it to say I think a lot of people’s plans got put on hold when the pandemic hit. Weir was supposed to head overseas to Europe but ended up recording some music remotely instead. I think the expression is something like “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” My Quarantina felt like a midwest Americana type of album. I happen to live in Chicago but also just the general alt-country Americana flavor in the spirit of Wilco and other like-minded bands seemed to be the main flavor. That being said there were a couple things like synths which perhaps define a signature sound for him. “What About Tonight?” is the first song and it starts with an upbeat rhythm section with the guitars feeling a little more subdued. As I mentioned the ’80s sounding synths that occasionally make themselves known were subtle but created some of the pensive atmosphere. At the center of the song is the vocals. I did feel like there was a similar emotional energy to Jeff Tweedy - a little bit pained and yet comforting. The song really doesn't have any changes that felt signifigant and sort of rides out the groove that it started with. “My Quarantina” revolves around a couple of major and minor chords on acoustic guitar, a 4/4 beat and some attitude. This song felt pretty straightforward but well delivered. “Guns and Religion” contains some more subtle synth. The song felt similar to “What About Tonight?” in terms of the groove and energy. I thought the chorus was memorable and repeat worthy. There is a little more attitude on “Gaslighter” and I enjoyed the gritty arpeggiated synth juxtaposed against the warmer guitar. I thought he saved the best for last with the dynamic and spoken word infused “Bombs.” I thought this was a solid batch of songs from an inspiring and authentic artist. The midwest flavor felt recognizable and heartfelt. Take a listen.
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