Jesse James Allen is an award-winning, multi-media creator from Orlando, Florida. He is a former AAA video game composer and sound designer on 53 well-known games, while his other contributions include work for museums and theme parks. Allen’s passion for classically inspired and choral music came from his early years recording for the prestigious Denver Center for the Performing Arts and National Theater Conservatory. His latest recording Cassini: A Musical Tribute is dedicated to both the team that ran the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn and its moons, as well as many of the pioneers of electronic music such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Wendy Carlos, Vangelis, Michael Stearns and Rick Wakeman. Cassini was created and mixed in Reaper, a DAW that Allen has used for many years on a variety of projects, including several games for electronic arts. He also used synths from Arturia that represented many of the synths Allen grew up programming in the ’80s and ’90s. For sampler power, the UVI Falcon and Native Instruments Kontakt with a vast set of sound libraries was used. The album took eight months to create and was mixed by the well-respected X:144 in Hollywood California, (also a video game veteran), who previously worked with artists such as Lauryn Hill. If you like electronic, new age, space music, not to mention appreciate all the extra care and detail put into each song (click on the “info” link for each track), then I think you’ll absolutely love what this remarkable album has to offer.
The aptly titled “Prelude” starts off with a history lesson starting in 1610 with Galileo Galilei, 1655 with Christiaan Huygens and 1671 with Giovanni Cassini who began his studies of the moons of Saturn. This leads us up to October of 1997, which started a 20-year journey of the Titan rocket onward to its destination – Saturn! “The Journey Begins” starts off with soothing synth sounds, and a countdown track (3-2-1) where then you’ll hear the Titan rocket blasting off. The added vocal tracks and electronic drums really gives this track an inspiring, spiritual sound. Angelic voices wrap up the end to this number. “Rendezvous with Venus” has an edgier, mysterious and climatic style – spooky even. The synth sounds are fantastic here! “Into the Asteroid Belt” has an even more mysterious appeal to it, but I would say, maybe on the side of ambient/chill, perhaps? There’s a heavy, low thundering presence here, too. “Winter at Jupiter” totally reminds me of Vangelis and their work on the original Blade Runner soundtrack of the ‘80s. The mix of sounds are both menacing and spacious, dark and tense. But towards the end, Allen offers other textures and layers which gives the song a more hopeful vibe. This was one of my favorites to listen to. “Phoebe” has a sort of old school quality – like something off the 2001 Space Odyssey soundtrack. I liked this one a lot, too. Also added here are electronic voice effects which made me think of the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica in the original television series – “the moon is so bright / Phoebe is about me Tonight / Hope all is well in Pasadena.” On “The Arrival” Allen wanted something more classical sounding to reflect Cassini’s arrival at Saturn and its rings in 2004. He pulls it off quite well here. A low, moaning rumble starts off the track, while more synths and an operatic vocal choir come soon after. And later, tribal sounding drums, rich and resonate – man, can somebody just go ahead and make a long play music video to match up with each track? “Huygens Land on Titan” is the album’s longest song. Extensive notes explaining Huygens probe breaking away from Cassini, as well as Allen’s details about his songwriting process can be found on the artist’s Bandcamp site. I would say this is one of Allen’s most dynamic numbers on the entire album. Next is “Enceladus” which offers the listener a great many swirling sounds, textures and mystery. But really, there’s no mystery here, as Allen explains that Cassini discovered in 2011 “geysers spraying saltwater, miles into the heavens” leading the team at NASA to speculate that there may be a water reserve, or some ocean, trapped under miles of ice – which can only mean one thing – the existence of life! “Moons in the Saturn Sky” has a great mix of old school sounding synths with some modern twists. I like this one as it has more percussion in it, adding some nice rhythm. “The Great Storm” begins with thunder cracking, reflecting a remarkable storm which took place on Saturn in 2010 that lasted for about a year. Edgier, intense sounding synths can be heard on this track, as well as echoing electronic drums and Hindustani vocalization. “Ring Dancer” starts off with a more structured melody, almost pop new wave, and plenty of big, sounding drums. As you may have guessed, this track is dedicated to the mystery of Saturn’s beautiful rings. The next track “Pale Blue Dot” is dedicated to the work of the Voyager 1 mission and the late, great Dr. Carl Sagan for his endless curiosity of our cosmos. Allen notes that on July 19th, 2003, the Cassini team decided to “recreate the Pale Blue Dot image “(made by the Voyager 1 probe) and encouraged people to “wave at Saturn” during that moment in time. He goes on to say, the image became known as “The Day the Earth Smiled.” “The Grand Finale” is a fitting tribute to Cassini, marking the end of its existence. It was given an assignment in September of 2017, which directed it to implode at the heart of Saturn itself. The purpose of this was to avoid any possible pollution of the moons around Saturn and to gather up as much information of Saturn before the mission finally ended. Allen’s work here showcases the eventual resignation of Cassini, and a “coming to terms” moment of its demise. The ending piano parts, accompanied by soft sounds of the synths, is quite moving. And last, there is “A Reason to Return” – a track that offers hope of returning to Enceladus’ ocean and what may lie beneath the miles of ice near Damascus Sulcus. On this last number, you’ll hear the imagined sounds of cracking ice worlds away from Earth, coupled with an expansive synth sound. If you love anything to do with space exploration, whether it is real or imagined, paired up with the electronic sounds of synth keyboards – then I highly recommend listening to Cassini: A Musical Tribute. Jesse James Allen’s dedication to his project, not to mention his love for space exploration, clearly shines throughout this album.
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Husband and wife duo Duncan and Chantelle Shepard are The Striped Bananas, a psychedelic indie rock band from Hartford, Connecticut. Recording since 2012 and following up on their acclaimed 2020 album Pictures I Hear, they’ve just released a new album titled Dreams Upon The Mast. Their press release states: “Harnessing the power of sitar, fuzz guitar, mellotron and dulcimer, Duncan pushes the boundaries of modern indie rock into an exploration of sound. Chantelle provides the accompaniment backbone with her canorous Hammond organ and dulcet vocal harmonies.” Andrew Lowden and James Knoeri contribute drums.
Thematically, the band says they dove into a deep variety of songs, hoping to “get your feet tapping and transport your mind to another place.” This was also the first time The Striped Bananas has recorded live horns, featured in the songs “Silver Heels” and “Run To The Night.” Influences range from Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd to the Doors to Badfinger. “We offer a playful yet introspective spin on classic sounds, featuring signature vocal harmonies, fun tunes and richly melodious production.” Recording was performed on a Tascam DP24-SD Digital Portastudio with mastering by The Striped Bananas veteran Andy Mitchell at Audio Bay Mastering in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Fittingly for the music, this album is available on vinyl as well as CD and download, along with tee shirts and buttons. Right off the bat, I have to say that these songs are very similar to the work of legendary home taper Micky Saunders, who is so retro that she still records her songs to half-inch tape and masters her albums on a ghetto blaster, while also playing live in several L.A. tribute bands including the Doors, Beatles, etc. Chantelle and Micky have quite similar singing voices and of course both artists prefer music that recalls the glory days of the late ’60s. “Silver Heels” is about a legendary dancer turned nurse in the Wild West, and features echo’d guitar, retro keyboards and horns by Kelly O’Donohue. The vocals on this first song are a little loose, a bit like like John Doe and Exene of X. “Dr. Kane’s Arctic Expedition” has a cool underwater or frozen ice effect on the guitar plus haunting vocal choruses to reflect its adventurous story. “Claudia Jennings” is a love song to the former Playmate and Queen of the B Movies. The band calls it powerpop but I find it more gentle than that, with yearning acoustic guitars and a Donovan or even Neil Young vibe. “The Daredevil of Niagara Falls” is a song about Chantelle’s uncle who rode a rubber ball over Niagara Falls in 1928. Just the thought of that is nuts, but they relate this story with matter of fact vocals and sliding electric guitars. “Am I dumb, or am I clever? / the Daredevil of Niagara Falls / Enclosed by red rubber walls.” “The Wheatfield” is the second song so far where I detect a five string banjo, adding a nice touch to its upbeat, Dylanesque acoustic feel. “Dreams Upon The Mast” has a similar feel to “Dr. Kane” and is described as “an ethereal journey into finding your purpose in a lost world.” Early psychedelic Pink Floyd seems an obvious influence. “She Lives In The Sea (of Colors),” from its title to the instrumentation (is that an actual Mellotron? HOW?), totally nails the psychedelic era in the style of the 13th Floor Elevators, Vanilla Fudge and others. “Run To The Night” features the return of Kelly O’ Donohue’s very cool horn section for a song with Doors-like organ and flashes of hard guitar. Drummer Andrew Lowden adds another vocal color on “Lonely Highway” and in the short campfire sing-along “Lady Moonshine” which ends the album. Overall The Striped Bananas has a good thing going. I think the vocals could be tighter here and there, but that’s a personal preference. The songs and playing are quite nice and evoke our psychedelic past authentically, while still being rooted in the here and now.
The first thing I noticed about Tribal from clash bowley was that three out of the first four songs were exactly two minutes and forty-seven seconds long. I’m going to surmise this was intentional but who knows.
“Bright Thing” is the first song and his use of percussion felt unique and different than what I heard from his previous releases. There’s this upwards building momentum from the guitars as well. Great start. “I Pulled Away” revolves around trip-hop style drums and filtered and atmospheric pads and synths. Bowley delivered a sincere and heartfelt vocal performance. The vocals build with intensity. Bowley sings “I pulled away / I hardened my heart / I pulled away / I went and pulled it all apart.” “To the Bone” was a standout track. It's a slick and smooth track. The bass creates a foundation as psychedelic patterns swirl. Bowley's vocals have a snarl to them at points. “Tribal” seems to take on the major theme of the album. It seemed to be about the bonds and connections we make for better and for worse. Bowley sings “There are ties of nation / There are ties of hate / There are ethnic ties / And there are ties of fate / And all these ties will bind us.” As the album progresses I thought there were a number of highlights including “Edge of the Universe” and “Lucid” which seemed to revolve around consciousness and free will. “Dry Land” was another good track and a rare instance of what sounds like vocal harmonies but could have been a filter. Tribal felt like it danced upon a lot of philosophical ideas but also I think it may reflect the current times we live in. There’s unequivocally a lot of tribalism going on in the world and it makes this release that much more salient.
Western Bloc is the project name of musician Barry James McCarthy. Not too long ago we reviewed Dead Doves & Rotting Olive Branches. The artist is now back with Monkey Christ. I would describe this music as experimental post-punk. Artists like Joy Division and Wire come to mind but so does some of the later work of Scott Walker. There is a sense of the absurd in line with David Lynch.
The almost ten-minute opener “Monkey Christ” might be the best song on the album. I loved the dark and dissonant soundscape. Every element is sort of doing its own thing but it still works in unique ways. The vocals are hard to make out but are more like spoken word. We get a little more conventional with a 4/4 beat and traditional song structure on “The Last Man to Read All Books.” That being said, I loved this tune. “Garden of Need” is like this mix of Joy Division and psychedelic sounding guitar. “Home” is a beautiful but dark slow burn. “The Sound and the Beauty '' is frantic and intense but also sort of meditative while “A Place I’ve Never Been” is one of the catchiest songs in the batch. “Oscar and the Spaceship” and “Were We Even Here at All?” ponder existential questions under a dark veil. Last up is “Walpurgisnacht Cap” which is an instrumental send off. I liked his previous release but this one was even better. McCarthy does an exceptional job tying in themes but also disperses energy in the right way. For instance there are some slow burns but also songs with a more kinetic feel. The benefit here is listening from beginning to end. My only critique was I was often struggling to make out the lyrics. I wanted some more clarity. Overall, this is a great album. Fans of post-punk, theater of the absurd and a good dose of darkness should love this. Recommended.
Rory Henderson is an artist from Rosseau, Ontario who recently released Highway Hypnosis. The artist mentions: “This is a concept album. Highway hypnosis is the phenomenon of arriving at your destination, and not being able to recollect that you drove there. It is also a metaphor for relationships, as sometimes you arrive at a point in a relationship and you're not sure how you got there.” Henderson says his artist influences are Father John Misty, Radiohead, Neutral Milk Hotel, Neil Young, Jason Molina and Brand New. Most of the songs sounded somewhere between Father John Misty and Neil Young.
The album sounds like familiar American folk and rock that has the standard emotions associated with genre like nostalgia, reflection and melancholy. I thought the songs sounded similar in structure and approach. Henderson is usually strumming major and minor chords with a 4/4 beat and singing over it. If you enjoy the opener “It's Not Often I Get Lost” you will enjoy the aesthetic for all the songs. There are solid delivery on songs like “Hearing the Sound.” One of the highlights was “Living in the Sun” for no other reason other than I thought the melodies were memorable. “Fooled” and “This Desert Rose” have their moments but it is “Dross” which is the outlier. It sounds like a different approach. The bass work doesn't do much but provide a canvas for solid guitar work throughout which is inspiring and inventive. The melancholy nostalgia continues with “I Wrote A Letter” which is just like a Neil Young song in terms of aesthetics and delivery “Make It Alright” is more melancholy. The highlight for me was “Flicker.” I thought his vocals sounded their best here which is backed by more of a ’90s indie rock vibe. “Highway Hypnosis” continues down the road of American nostalgia. Henderson is definitely a talented artist who can write a good song. My only critique is that he wears his influences on his sleeve which sometimes felt a little too obvious. I was having a hard time finding qualities that felt singular to Henderson. That’s very hard to accomplish but still finding something within the equation (even if it’s subtle) that would make me recognize his signature sound could be food for thought. As an engineer myself I thought the recording quality was solid for a home recording. I think handing off his mixes to a professional mastering engineer could have gotten him a little closer to the fidelity of a Father John Misty or Neil Young album but overall it was a very nice job. I thought this was a good album from beginning to end. The songs are heartfelt, sincere and honest. I think a lot of people will enjoy it. Take a listen.
Opalfire is a two-man band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota who have just released their new album Atom Dance. Jeff Schraw has been writing, playing and recording in various groups for over half his life; Ian Crawford has a similar background, while working as a piano tuner, yoga instructor and music therapist. Interestingly this is the second album I’ve reviewed in two weeks that features a music therapist, and both that album and this one share a relaxed, hypnotic vibe that is certainly not coincidental.
The band was formed when Schraw and Crawford became roommates and realized their musical tastes aligned perfectly: ethereal, sci-fi, imaginative, cinematic, accessible but not quite ordinary. Atom Dance is the result of their collaboration and is an album they both dreamed of making. They call it an “experience album” in that the instrumentals “allow a person to have their own experience without being told what the songs are really about. It was designed to be taken in all at once, when one has time to slow down and allow themselves to be transported to wherever they may need to go.” Instrumentally, both members play synths and guitars. Ian Crawford also sings and plays trumpet, French horn, mandolin and piano, while Jeff Schraw adds bass guitar and percussion. Guest Maureen Howell plays violin. The album was recorded in the boys’ shared apartment using Logic Pro X with Focusrite Clarett and Apogee Duet interfaces, working in fits and spurts over a five-year period using whatever gear they had, but slowly upgrading their studio over time. Mixing was done remotely by Jason McGlone and mastered by Rob Schlette at Anthem Mastering. Compositionally, each member would come up with musical ideas, which the other would arrange or add more pieces. In this way the album grew slowly and changed shape quite often, but “ultimately it came together in the way we always imagined” which was a “symmetrical album with a palindromic quality. The intro track is meant to hint at what is to come and ease the listener in, and the outro track is meant to reflect on what has passed and gently release the listener back into the world.” Their influences include the TV show “Stranger Things” as well as Harold Budd, Vangelis, Todd Sickafoose, Muse, Takashi Tateishi and lots of other ’80s and ’90s music. But they credit the Prophet 6 and Maureen Howell’s violin with truly bringing the magic to this collection. On that note, they mention with pride that most sounds on the album came from human-played instruments with few samples. There’s a lot here so I’ll discuss my favorites. From the first notes of “Time’s Touch” the influence of Vangelis and other electronic composers is evident. However, the “organic” nature of these performances is also quite obvious. The different sounds and textures sweep in and out of the sonic frame, but with an undeniable reality to the instrumentation, especially Maureen Howell’s violin which creates its own miniature orchestra. “Ever and Ever” has a fast ’8’s tempo and compelling “Midnight Express” style synth melodies. At this point I’m amazed that this music came from a shared apartment and not a massive recording studio on the lunar surface. The concluding acoustic piano solo at the end is a classy touch. “Sistalgia” is one of the few vocal tracks, with Crawford performing with a clean, crystalline tone amidst a jumpy bed of keyboards and rapid beats. I suspect there’s been some AutoTune correction, but the result is both realistic and otherworldly. “River Into Sea” features Stevie Wonder-ish funky keyboard riffs and jazzy guitars. “Out of the Fold” has a simple melody like “The Twilight Zone” theme surrounded by dark but ultimately uplifting dramatic flourishes; this one somewhat recalls one of the “long” tracks from later Genesis albums. “Into The Bargain” is a shorter track which features a cool live drum pattern over which the synths weave a seductive cocoon. The concluding horns are a nice idea. “Cascadia” is another mini-epic that reflects the band’s interest in movie, TV and game soundtracks with keyboards that sound both retro and modern, plus orchestral guitars and cool bumblebee bass. A definite album highlight! “The Right Mistake” is the second vocal track with Crawford’s lyrical phrasing hushed and almost keyboard-like. This is a shorter track but it creates an intriguing, sounds-from-the-void atmosphere while it plays. “The Essential Mystery” brought to mind the majestic soundtracks from both “Blade Runner” movies and is another strong favorite. If I’m being totally honest, I was inspired by this group’s commitment to playing live instruments as opposed to samples, but was a tiny bit disappointed that in some cases synths and keyboards wound up being the primary colors. However, that possibly reflects my own expectations, and approaching this music without preconception seems a better path for new listeners. Taken totally on its own merits, there’s beautiful and compelling music here and I’m better for having experienced it.
Molly Jenson is a singer/songwriter from Southern California who has been releasing music for over fifteen years. She independently released her debut album Maybe Tomorrow in 2005 and then Jenson signed to Bully! Pulpit Records. In 2010 she was a part of the resurgence of Lilith Fair. In 2019 she received the Speranza Foundation's Lincoln City Fellowship for her music and is now back with Goodbye.
The album begins with the title track “Goodbye” which is a moody and atmospheric song with heavy percussion and delicate vocals. It definitely piqued my interest and loved the vocal delivery. “You Did Your Best” is another synth heavy track with a good amount of atmosphere that’s emotive and melancholy. “You Think You were the Only One” is a very catchy song and more upbeat. It’s more aligned with synth pop. “Held on Too Long” is fairly cinematic and epic. The music reminded me of Radiohead. The slightly dark and cerebral “How Dare You” is another great tune that has some infectious vocal melodies. I also appreciated the sparse and intimate piano ballad entitled “I Want to Hate You.” “Unbroken” has some magic while ‘It’s Not Complicated” felt more pop oriented. “Help Me Love” is a sweeping ballad. The album closes with another intimate piano ballad called “I Will Be Okay.” This is a fantastic album from the delivery to the songwriting. It feels contemporary and emotionally powerful as well as sincere and heartfelt. On top of that the production was inventive with a good amount of attention to detail. It gets two thumbs up.
Harry Beck works as a professional music therapist in Camas, Washington, but has also been recording countless hours of his own music as his own personal music therapy. Wild Introvert is the name of the first collection in 13 years he felt was thematically cohesive and sounded good enough to release. Beck feels most comfortable with the genres “singer/songwriter,” “experimental folk” and “alternative.” As his themes are mostly centered on his relationship with God, we might also call his music “spiritual.”
Beck says this album was “recorded, edited, mixed and mastered Inside various multi-purpose rooms, including a kitchen, across two homes in Camas, WA. It probably sounds lo-fi, and/or endearingly amateur.” Beck used ProLogic exclusively and learned the nuts and bolts on the fly, especially when it came to mastering the tracks himself: “I did not want to pay $75 a track to farm them out.” Good for him! I’d say he did a more than competent job recording and mastering, especially for this quiet style of music. It seems I often compare bands on Divide and Conquer to the Fleet Foxes, but those guys defined a certain acoustic sound with melodic vocals and introspective lyrics, and that’s the first thought I had with Beck’s opening track “The Greener Grass.” Beck’s voice is pleasing and sincere, his acoustic guitars have a chiming, spacious quality and the piano and drums fill out the sonic picture beautifully. The sound is bathed in just enough reverb to be relaxing, as in the first moments of dreaming. “Porridge” has a lyrical structure similar to the folk song “If I Had A Hammer.” Musically Beck changes things up a little with a flat snare sound, Dylanesque organ and a wider stereo mix for his acoustics. Beck’s lyrics clearly have Biblical touchstones (“Daniel… you should come and baptize my son”) without reaching out and grabbing you by the throat. “Pillory” is an eleven-minute folk-country epic which again features roomy acoustics, piano and some purposely dissonant electric guitar flourishes. The epic part of this song begins in the middle, where Beck runs through the chord sequence a few times without singing, creating a mantra-like effect with the chords. Though Beck is a music therapist, I found that his music works much better the more attention you give it; playing in the background, his gentle constructs tend to get lost within themselves. I suspect this longish song is a good example of his therapeutic technique. “The Lines” combines the simplicity of a Bob Dylan arrangement with the orchestral guitar flourishes that I’m starting to recognize as Beck’s style. The internal melodies of this song are especially beautiful and totally snuck up on me. “Like A Stone” has whistling at its center, along with a “tremolo” effect on the main electric guitar. A quite interesting construct, though Beck may have mixed his voice a bit low on this one. Like “Pillory” Beck takes his time in the middle of this song to explore his chord sequences in an unhurried fashion. The constant tremolo might get wearying for some but I grew to like it. “A Horse Silently Coming” appears to reference the “pale horse” from Revelations 6:8, though I’m not a Biblical scholar. There’s certainly references to “the Master,” “Jesus” and the washing of feet. Musically it’s yet another quite nice acoustic vocal tune during which it’s easy to float away. “The Mule” is a shorter, more intimate acoustic folk tune. Though I enjoyed Beck’s experiments in stretching out his songs, in this case there may be too much of a good thing, as this album seemed to reach its natural conclusion with a couple more songs still to go. But that’s a minor quibble, and I can’t argue with the many lovely moments and compelling songs Beck has presented here.
The origins of Rayband go back to the 1990s, when Phil, Jim, Steve and Alan started working on musical projects together, but it wasn't until the year 2000 that Rayband was formed. They recently released Telling a Tale which is a nine-song album.
This felt like a straightforward classic rock album aligned with bands from the late ’60s and ’70s. “Blue Tinted Eyes” starts things off and the song revolves around distorted major and minor chord progressions, a 4/4 beat and familiar verse/chorus/verse/ type structure. On that note the song is well-delivered and quite catchy. “What you Call the Blues” is a solid song but more of a ballad. I thought the vocals were quite good. I’m not sure if it was the mixing or performance but the dynamics on “The Meaning” wasn’t popping like the previous songs. The dynamics gets back on track with “Why ask me.” There’s some creative guitar work towards the beginning of the song. This might be the most single worthy song in the batch. The structure and hooks were inviting. “A Candle Burns” is more pensive and melancholy than any of the previous songs. The drums are mostly tom work and that combines tremolo infused guitar. “Telling a Tale” is also slightly different from any of the previous songs. This song growls with distortion in a unique way. The guitarist might be palm muting. The band has more success with the catchy anthem “Cancel all the Crazies” and the melodic “I Wanted to be There.” Last up is “pop rock, rock - On Approval” which is a slow burn of blues and rock. Suffice it to say the band will resonate with fans who are purists. I can’t say there were any surprises on these songs but they were well-written and some that stood out to me. Recommended.
Daphne Kills Fred is a new band from San Antonio, Texas that just released their debut EP With A Stiletto, which makes for a nice package when said all together. They’re described as a “sometimes grunge-y, sometimes punky, sometimes twangy, sometimes dance-y, always fun and often rowdy and fun-loving rock band. Subject matter ranges from sexy to silly and everywhere in between. They pull from their varied influences and styles to create new original music, as well as put their own stamp on covers spanning several genres.” This is an unusual rock group lineup in that the women outnumber the men: Morgan Clyde (lead vocals/lyricist), Peter Egly (lead guitar), Marcel Molina (bass), Cristina Molina (rhythm guitar) and Kristi Tabersmith (drums).
In terms of songwriting, it’s a true collaborative process with each member contributing organically to every song’s structure and dynamics. Grunge and punk are strong influences with an emphasis on melodic vocals. Recording took place at Cibolo Studios in San Antonio, Texas. “Between” roars out of the gate with crunchy guitars and a jumpy, insistent beat. Morgan Clyde’s dynamic, wide-ranging vocals at first recall Tanya Donnelly, then ramp up the wattage for more of an Ann Wilson attack; in fact, musically this song is something of a Heart-Belly hybrid. The emotions are raw and right up front: “If you’re hungry let me feed you / I’m goddamn delicious / There’ll be time for swooning later / But right now, I just wanna scream.” She’s not kidding! “Roulette” lifts the foot off the pedal a bit for a more easy rock groove about those dangerous ladies with stilettos you can see, but knives and guns that you don’t. Solid guitar and tasty leads are featured from Peter Egly. Again, the hard rock tropes are hit hard: “I’m not that sweet / And I won’t play nice / We might be a match / But baby I’m dynamite.” “Taste Like Smoke” is a clever off-kilter love song where the singer has lots of problems with her mate, but misses him anyway because he “tastes like smoke.” This riff-centered tune reminded me of the Breeders and has lots of sweet overdubbed harmonies. “Under My Heel” has a similar title to Alice Cooper’s “Under My Wheels” and rocks every bit as hard, with the track’s compression slammed to the absolute limit. Based on this short collection, Daphne Kills Fred is a band I’d love to see live. How they might fill out a full-length release is a different question, but based on the surprising humor of the final track “Jackie” these rockers might have a few more tricks up their sleeve. “Jackie” is a love song to Jackie Chan, the kind of goody idea I can totally get behind. “Gee, I'd love to kiss you / But I love another man / Gee, I'd love to date you / But I'm in love with Jackie Chan / Who else could make you smile / While he's kicking your ass?” Paramilitary drum rolls and wah-wah guitar drive the point home. Overall, a great introduction to these hardcore but engaging rockers! |
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