Back in May we reviewed A Turn In The Bend by Oliver James Brooks. He quickly followed up with a single entitled “The Fading House.” Brooks mentions that the song is how his wife felt about moving. There are big moves and little moves. This is the former. It was from Toronto to Brooklyn.
The song veers towards the melancholy folk vibe. Artists like Elliott Smith and Kurt Vile come to mind. In fact I thought Brooks’ voice has a similar quality to Vile which I heard come out on the chorus. The song is dynamic but it’s subtle. In fact it might be me favorite quality of the song. The song starts with warm acoustic guitar that is picked and strummed. It’s an intimate recording where you can hear the nuances of the strings. Drums seamlessly enter into the picture. The recording of the drums is just about perfect. Not much reverb, dry and close mic’d. The one additional element is the reverb laced lead guitar which gives the song an additional layer of melancholy. Brooks’ vocals are are about two notches above a whisper when he sings, “There is a girl who sits by the wall.” That dynamic shift I was talking about comes quick around the forty-second mark. His vocals perk up a little and the guitar feels more vibrant on the chorus. It’s a groove but he doesn't hold on to it too long before going back to the verse and into a silky and dreamy guitar solo. I don’t know how literal this song is but the title “The Fading House" is painted into your mind.. He sings about rusted hinges, water stains, a decaying foundation and sunken carpets. That being said he plays around with these tactile impressions with haunting poetry such as his reference to loved ones gone, shadows at the end of the hall and time being lost. My interpretation after absorbing the lyrics was these could have been about spirits or apparitions being in the house. I have no idea if that was an actual idea the artist had but that did enter my mind. I feel like the cover art may be a further indicator of this. This a great single. I think his fans should be excited about what else is around the corner from this artist. And if you haven’t already make sure to check out his full length.
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Broadwing is an indie-punk band from New Hampshire who’s style can best be described as bare-bones progressive. While their three-piece setup of guitar, drums and bass is par for the course for their scene, the band’s ability to stretch songs to their full conceptual potential with creative structures is distinctive.
I’d compare the their debut studio album Nomad favorably to American Idiot with less of that album’s wall-of-sound approach. Broadwing succeeds by putting less effort into perceived grandiosity, instead relying more on sharp personal narratives and a nice band chemistry that translates to a tight and clean recording. With Nomad, Broadwing’s aim is to evoke the 20-something culture of New England through a rambunctious bar band sound and a set of stories pulled from the life of singer/ bassist Dave Swillum. As the album’s title suggests, these stories are often adventures around the city or around the country. Musically, Swilum and his band mates, guitarist Ryan Desharnais and drummer Scott Kelly, evoke this feeling of changing scenery and life transitions through arrangements that include frequent riff changes and breaks. Electronic textures play a role too, such as the jittery and ambient soundscapes found on the album’s first track “Movement,” a nearly nine-minute suite that covers a lot of ground from its simple introductory guitar progression to its hardcore and melodic outro that finds Swillum stacking vocals over heavily distorted guitars and syncopated drum grooves. Often the missing piece for a band in 2019 with the current cultural focus on commercial viability is any real attempt to be ambitious. Artists who go for a quick hit and potential quick buck sacrifice the narrative and emotional possibilities a sprawling and progressive effort can offer when it comes to acclaim among fans who hunger for art with a greater scope. While Broadwing could use some fine tuning in their recording process, as some vocal takes and drum fills didn’t hit the mark completely, the boldness of Broadwing’s endeavor and their overall enjoyable musicality and songwriting ability should make Nomad an essential listen for any fan of The Front Bottoms or Flogging Molly.
Chill Collins is an alternative/indie rock band based out of Orcas Island, WA and was formed in the early spring of 2018. The band members consist of Avery Adams (vocals/guitar), Danny Herasymchuck (keys/vocals) and Kevin Roth (drums).
A burgeoning band, Chill Collins has a backlog of material five years in the making written throughout the Pacific Northwest by Adams. They hand selected the five songs to go on their eponymous EP that would best exemplify their live sound. The self-titled EP Chill Collins explores a smattering of topics that include “self-destruction, self-revelation, love lost, redemption, loneliness, among other classic tropes of sad rock guy topics.” With boundless energy, the band performs these fully realized tracks with relish and candor. The group throws their full weight into these songs that resound with a pulsating alternative vibe and indie rock quality. Chill Collins opens with “Peppermint” where upbeat drumming surfaces on the start of this sparking jazz number infused with a bluesy lounge vibe. Some infectious and catchy melodies pervade the track. A raging guitar solo tears it up toward the one-minute mark. The keys, drums and guitars coalesce to create a full band sound. This mellow jazzy type song is filled with wonky guitars that add a funky touch. The vocals are spewed out in rapid sure-fire execution, which almost sounds like he is rapping. This style of vocals contains a contagious energy. On “This Thievery,” guitars and keys together with drums create a whirlwind pop cadence. Pure ear candy, this track brings forth a real dance-worthy rock sound that really stands out. This song is a definite highlight. Sun-soaked and bright, the track contains a real groovy cadence. The electric guitar solo towards the three-minute mark soars with range and power, spiraling with uncontrollable revelry. The finger-picking on the guitar towards “Coastal Creature” creates a tick tock sound that is hypnotizing. Eventually the slick cadences of guitar riffs pave this song, hinging off of some stellar sonorous displays. The track is somber-sounding with melancholy vocals. The EP slows down here on this song with less of an upbeat vibe and more about the gloom and doom subject the band mentions. The guitars on this track remind me of something to come from Rilo Kiley’s “The Moneymaker.” Following is “Devil Wearing Satin,” where a groovy melody on keys jumpstarts this song. A real glowing energized sound is eluded. Upbeat strumming on the electric guitar also joins in. The song has a glitchy noir type of cinematic detailing. The keys do a solo toward the one-and-a-half-minute mark. The keys sound wonky here with a funky vigorous vibe. Toward the closer “Black Ice,” the rhythms on the electric guitars offer up a hypnotizing groove. The drums heavily keep up with the beat offered up in the backdrop of this song. This is a slower-striding ballad with a slow-burning feel with a slight hint of a tropical/island favor. Next a bit of Americana could be detected in this track with the vocals breaking down in a country-twang fashion. With so much to take in on this EP, the band really seemed to be all over the place on this particular song. While working with a more cohesive cadence on the previous tracks, “Black Ice” seems to be a departure from the band’s more collective sound. Loud and filled with energy, their EP is a great indicator of how they would sound during a live set. With many a dance-worthy groove and happening pop-rock appeal in the vein of such bands like Modest Mouse and Arctic Monkeys, Chill Collins’ music incorporates their many influences as well as integrating a sound that is all their own. Raw, untamed and boisterous, these are all synonyms for bands to watch out for. Chill Collins inhabits these characteristics with natural charisma and with an uncanny expectation to color outside the lines. Except for the last song, the band is able to build a signature sound that could be heard throughout the listening experience of their five-track EP. While the band builds on a more cohesive sound, this is a solid record and I can't wait to hear more from them.
Cornucopia is a teenage four-piece band based in Harpole, Northamptonshire, England. They will play anywhere and everywhere (including the bass player's living room). They’ve played local festivals as well as venues including Towcester Beer Fest and The Lab Northampton. The band is made up of Niall Palmer (drums), Charley Barnet (bass), Lewis Beahan (guitar/vocals) and Billy Joe Mattock (guitar/vocals). The band describes their debut album Identity Crisis as “an extremely versatile collection of songs packed full of explosive riffs and gorgeous melodies with an edge.” Influenced by the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, Nirvana and the new Idles/Fontaines DC/Crows scene, Identity Crisis boasts heavy riffs while tapping into the emotional side of things. The album’s songs are about people, the relationship between yourself, your mind and unity.
The opening number “A Bit of Swing” is sampled from Pedro Esparza's “Swing Time.” Indeed, that’s the only thing it is, a sampling of the song being played on vinyl. But towards the end, there are technical difficulties with the player’s speaker cutting out as you hear someone pounding on the stereo system – loud fuzz ends the song. Next up is “Hollow Eyes” – the band’s longest song which the first song bleeds into. Tribal drum pounding starts things off, as a mysterious, reverbing guitar strums along with a spooky melody. I can only describe this tune as something between The Cure’s Pornography, The Bauhaus and Queens of the Stone Age. The band’s sound is trippy and creepy all in one and has a droning goth feel to it. The turn I wasn’t expecting was how the band sped the song’s tempo up – like freakishly fast! “Buried” features a fantastic guitar to drum rhythm. To me, it feels like what The Clash would have sounded like if they would have been more goth metal and less punk pop. Overall, this tune reminded me more of Danzig, but maybe not quite that dark. “Jack” is a fun number all around. It’s danceable and groovy like an old school pop punk tune a la The Stooges meets The Kinks or Yardbirds. “You and Me” puts the wheel in fifth gear and doesn’t let up. The band really shows off how tight they play together inside a tune that’s well under three minutes – I’m talking Ramones like. What I liked best about this one is the guitar solo and rhythm guitar. Things just keep getting better with “We Are All Animals” – a heavy hitting, fuzzy, metal guitar driven number with plenty of rage singing and ride cymbal play. Definitely another great head banging song. Midway through comes “Fountain” – a fuzzy filled guitar song that sounds raw, live and echoey. Production wise, it sounds like the drums were recorded separately or the instruments were tapped into separate mixing boards. Anyway, a slower number compared to what’s been heard so far. Stylistically, this one reminded me of an obscure Nirvana song. “Who Am I?” takes a page from retro glam rock, post-psych electro effect guitar sound of the ‘70s. It’s a unique song to be sure and I can only say that it reminds me a little of the Sid Barrett years of Pink Floyd, mixed with punk. “You Won’t Divide Us” is a song that you should not miss. It’s got such fantastic energy, catchy guitar licks and a “piss-off” attitude seeping from every lyric – not to mention suburb screaming capabilities by either Mattock or Beahan. “Sleep” is perhaps the band’s most dynamically creative and tightly written song. It has a modern edge like Franz Ferdinand with some classic hooks from ‘80s new wave. “Every Good Band Need a Song with an Unnecessarily Long Title” – indeed they do, just take any song from Morrissey’s catalog and there you go. This one is another awesome number filled with fast rhythms and guitar licks from start to finish – like a quintessential punk rock number from the old days. Damn this one was good! “The Things People Do” should show the listener that Cornucopia has what it takes to be an excellent band. Style wise, this number felt like a cross between The Kinks and Van Morrison and needless to say, a song that’s completely different from what I’ve just heard. The last tune is a bonus track called “Violet” and starting out, only silence is there until you hear some bubbling sounds, low bass lines, drums and a classic pump organ playing. Overall, the song has a spooky feel to it and a contemporary feel – almost comical you might say, less punk. And, it’s an instrumental. Well, what can I say? Give Cornucopia’s Identity Crisis a try. If you’re into some of the other bands mentioned earlier, I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.
There is an infectious whimsy to Turn The Page, the debut EP from San Diego multi-instrumentalist Jordan Krimston. Classic chord progressions and a ’60s pop aesthetic form Krimston’s sandbox, where he builds castles in the eccentric tradition of Syd Barrett. Although steeped in a colorful past, Krimston’s is a thoroughly modern sound that allows synthesizers, vocoders and autotune to roam free. Recorded in Philadelphia with Andrew Wilson on the boards and an assortment of friends as musical guests, Turn The Page is conceptual, complex, idiosyncratic and textured; but most importantly, it is fun.
A myriad of instruments defines the the color of this EP. Moog basses, samplers, clavichords, guitars and swilling Wurlitzer keyboard, to name only a handful of the timbres Krimston employs. The choice combination of these sounds adds to a blissful sum, and those with voracious ears will find plenty in these arrangements to chew on. Continuing the food analogy, I would describe these songs as sticky and sweet. Each song is a brief statement, no filler; but Krimston displays an ability to give the pieces time to breathe and evolve. The upbeat and slightly schizophrenic “Blitz & Jr” makes clever use of a complex time signature, frequent cuts and needling ear worms to make its two-minute playtime feel more like a journey. While Krimston has an accomplished past as a member of multiple bands, the quality of his debut solo EP and the growing buzz around its single “Need You When You’re Gone” indicates that he’s on the right path. Turn The Page is inventive and bold; and although some moments could be fine-tuned (I personally found “W.I.P” to be a little one note and overly compressed), the project as a whole contains real inspiration and shows flashes of Krimston’s brilliance as an artist and his effective brashness (the autotune appears gimmicky but is actually a bold move). The assortment of sounds he utilizes and the creative way he applies them will surely spark the imagination of fellow creators. For fans of Dirty Projectors, Stephen Malkmus or Pretty Odd era Panic! At The Disco, Jordan Krimston’s modern take on psychedelic pop is a must listen.
The Sugar Ants is Richard Lee Potts and Nathan Milliken. The duo are good friends and they made this EP while living across the country from each other.
Their eponymous EP The Sugar Ants is demo quality release that contains five songs. They open with “Closer Than A Kiss” which is a pretty straightforward rock song. The song comes out of the gates with a lot of energy with distorted guitar and cymbal heavy drums. Once the verse hits things start to simmer down. The vocals are stoic and when the bridge hits the song takes on an ‘80s rock vibe. It’s got this heroic sort of vibe that made me think of a video montage where the protagonists is bettering himself in some way. Up next is “All My Heroes.” I liked the off kilter groove here which reminded me of Primus. The song starts to sound like a ’60s groove as it continues. There is some impressive lead guitar, organ and drums which was a jam that could have gone for a long time or stopped. “Ash and Glass” is a great song and perhaps the most single worthy. The song had a late ’80s and ’90s quality to my ears. The hook is catchy. They have more success with “Move On” while “On Your Ocean” sounds like a hero's journey. There is this mythological quality to “On Your Ocean”. It’s a little hard to explain but I was picturing a hero going across the ocean to go on an epic journey. As an engineer I feel like it would do a disservice If I didn’t mention some technical elements which can help the band. The songs have an accumulation of high frequencies. I couldn’t listen to these songs loud because of ear fatigue. There is an accumulation of frequencies between 5khz and 10khz and very little on the low end which is where warmth usually lies. I think it would behoove them to work with an engineer, befriend one or learn about how to cut certain frequencies. Working with a mastering engineer could help balance out the frequencies if they want to do all the mixing themselves. Despite some issues with the engineering I felt the band was on to a unique vibe you don’t hear very much these days. The singing comes off as proud and empowering in some ways. It didn’t sound like a run of the mill indie band. Overall, I thought the band had a lot of talent. I hope this is just the beginning for them. I’m looking forward to hearing more.
sally hatchet is an artist from Washington, D.C. who recently released living and dying. It’s a narrative based EP. It’s about a couple who go across the United States, someone gets murdered and well I won’t give away the rest. You could say this is “true crime folk” or something like that.
The music barely changes in style at all throughout these songs. I think this may have been intentional as the main focus seems to be on the narrative. The formula is a lightly strummed guitar, background vocal harmonies which are covered in reverb and then the lead vocal. Throughout the songs there isn’t much change in mood either. The main vocal affectation goes between severely depressed to so full of despair I can’t get out the words. Any way you slice the lead vocals are always dramatic but work very well with the storyline. The background vocal harmonies create more of haunting quality. Almost like the subconscious mind in some way, it somewhat reminded me of the haunting vocals you hear on the album The Magic Place by Julianna Barwick. The EP starts with “the eldorado” and if you like this haunting yet beautiful aesthetic you will enjoy everything else ahead. I can’t really say there are many hooks, it felt more like mantras. A repeated section of words. You can hear this on the beginning of “accident, maryland.” The song “devil's courthouse” gets really into the narrative where you can hear the cocking of a gun. Last up is “a farewell to your arms.” You don’t get a happy ending of any kind. She sings, “there’s no exit from this hell so i’ll retreat to my shell i thought i figured you out but you kick me when i'm down.” Apart from the narrative she is trying to convey this collection felt like a mood piece. There is a very specific frequency and mood she hits upon that really doesn't change. If there are changes it’s incremental and microscopic. I liked the idea and thought the execution was solid as well. It’s up to her how far down the rabbit hole she wants to go with this concept. I was thinking she could do actual true crime stories possibly with creaking doors, narration and a whole immersive experience. I’m looking forward to where she goes from here. Take a listen.
I guess there has been this resurgence of people claiming the earth is flat. I’m not entirely sure but surmise that’s the inspiration behind the name. Flat Earth People by Darren Sullivan is his most realized album to date and also a really long album. The topic is broader then the title implies. Sullivan mentions "consider the entire album a dystopic love song
The music hits on so many genres. It’s genre bending and the songs are full to the brim with elements. There should be a warning before hitting play about being bombarded by tribal sounding drums, vocals and guitar from the song “No Moral Standing.” The song sounds like it’s going at a hyper-speed rate. My brain was constantly catching up to what was happening. It was a song that definitely needed to be heard a number of times to fully appreciate it. The song is actually quite catchy. “Waves” is sort of serene but there is so much movement here. I say that as a compliment. The song takes you in a number of directions and you’re not always sure where you are going, which is exciting. There are some great vocal hooks here and Sullivan isn’t rapping but he has a flow. “The Crimson Lair” is all over the place stylistically. It’s experimental rock in some sense. There are drones and inventive production which adds a lot of unique qualities to the song. I’m not even completely sure what was happening around two-and-a-half-minutes but it had my attention. “Makeshift Tent” has more space at first. There are multiple vocal lines and guitar but the song soon gets added instrumentation and feels like it’s full to the brim with instrumentation. “Dream Wayfarer” was a great song. It sounded like there was a digital banjo or something like that. It's got this slight country vibe but is so off-kilter. I’m seriously only scratching the surface here. “Flat Earth People” is a rock song that gets turned upside with inventive tones while “Dreams of the Holocene” deceives you with a dramatic piano piece before taking off with kinetic energy. This album is incredibly dense and at fourteen songs it will take some effort to explore. That effort may well be worth it because there are plenty of treasures to be found. Sullivan has a unique way of approaching music that might be all his own.
YouAreTheSun is a studio project by Anthony Laiosa and is located in Somerville, Massachusetts. He recently released Late One Lonely Night. The album is about the subject that according to my former music teacher is the most written about. It’s not hard to guess. The ubiquitous subject of heartbreak holds the number one position. There is a reason for this and it’s mostly the fact that the artist is finding solace through the process of creating art.
Late One Lonely Night is an album that outlines the stages of a close relationship with someone you love and dealing with the aftermath of their leaving. The first song is entitled “Flowers in Her Hair” and you are greeted with bright synths, reverb laced delayed guitar and drums. There is a good energy to the song and it has an ethereal quality to the song. On “Tell Me” he laments, “Tell me that you’ll always love me / tell me that you’ll always need me.” There is an inherent yearning on this song that comes through. It’s heartfelt and honest. The song also reminded me of Tame Impala in some ways. “Late One Lonely Night” was a highlight. This song was bright was a very catchy chorus. The female vocal harmonies sound great as well. This is a single worthy song that is fleshed out and also dynamic. “Waved Goodbye” is a solid song as well with percussive elements and a playful quality that felt very inviting. He closes with another highlight entitled “Waiting for You” which is ethereal. I thought his vocals sounded their best on this track. He really seemed to nail the performance. There are some slight issues with implementation across this EP. The beat is sometimes noticeably off and he really struggles to stay in key. These aren’t deal breakers for me but there is definitely some tightening up that can be done around the edges to give these songs a more professional feel. These are lo-fi songs that have their charm due to the fact that he is wearing his heart on his sleeve and the songs are well written. Laiosa is a young guy with plenty of potential. I remember being his age and the heartbreak passes. It always does. There will be plenty more to write about and I’m looking forward to that time.
The last time I heard Retrograde Reality it was just a solo project made up of Brandon Frie. Since then he added a member, Justin Wylie. The band now has a lead vocalist which you could say is a big deal.
The music itself hasn’t changed that much in style. You can say it’s just been improved on their four-song eponymous EP Retrograde Reality. I was a kid in the ’80s and a teenager in the ’90s but I specifically remember their style being very popular at a certain time. These four songs sounded like the late ’80s to me or maybe the early ’90s. It was before grunge became popular. It was the era when a song like this would support a video montage and sung along with in a stadium. The music certainly created a sense of nostalgia for me that I specifically remember living through. Topically, the members sing about current themes. The band states, “Retrograde Reality is about the weirdness of today's political/social climate - specifically, the Flat Earth movement and some of the US's senior leadership.” The band gets going with the title track “Retrograde Reality.” It starts with an acoustic guitar, vocals and a bass drum that is covered in so much reverb it sounds like it's being played in an arena. With that comes an arena rock type of chorus. The song does have a very current topic about science vs what people want to think is true. Hidden underneath the surface this song may have to be about issues like climate change. That was my interpretation at least. “Opportunity Lost” is a ballad of sorts that is reflective and melancholy but also has an undercurrent of hope. I wouldn't have realized it if I didn’t read about it but this song is about the Opportunity Mars mission. Lyrically, it’s broad and open to interpretation which is something I love about a skilled lyricist. “Interlude” really did feel like an interlude. There are some pleasant guitar strums, ambience and birds chirping but it doesn't go farther than that. The last song “Crushed” is the arguable highlight. I like the vocal melody and hypnotic guitar pattern. At its core, it is a pretty straight forward rocker. The chorus is built around heavy distortion guitar and anthemic vocals. Retrograde Reality is a throwback EP. I was just having a discussion with my friend where we were discussing how the internet has allowed all these niche styles to co-exist in ways that we couldn’t before. Retrograde Reality should have a home with a lot of people. |
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