Boston, MA, indie rock band Spotted Owls is comprised of Adam Garland (guitars vocals/ keys), John Sorice (guitars/vocals), Mike Bradley (drums/bass) and Brian McGrath (trumpet/keysvocals). They released this debut EP Filament Sound all the way back in February of this year.
For Filament Sound, Garland engineered and produced each of its four tracks, despite each part being contributed from separate locations. To do this, he used a 14-year-old Windows XP laptop as well as the stock Cakewalk DAW and plugins. Mixed at Rooster Studios by Garland himself, the EP was then mastered by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering. Sonically, Spotted Owls claims that they’re often compared to Beck and Pink Floyd, with prominent use of the trumpet. However, they also say that they blend different genres like “skewed blues, orchestrated acoustic psychedelia and hypnotic spaghetti western soundtracks.” This could easily sound like a huge mess, but somehow, Spotted Owls pulls this off. Filament Sound opens up with “How Does It Fly,” a soaring five-minute-long number in the vein of Pink Floyd. Moving along at a snail’s pace, yet with just enough bounce in the drumming to make this memorable, the song eventually builds to a climax of trumpet, strings sounds, and echoing guitars. The more I listen to this, the more idyllic it gets. Next is “The Ladder,” which could very well be an outtake from Beck’s 1998 album, Mutations. This must be the part of the EP that is like a spaghetti western soundtrack. Garland’s lead vocals also remind me of Beck. Over the course of six minutes, the music twists and turns with each beat of percussion, sliding and rattling like a snake. I feel like this is a standout on the EP. “Briefcase” features more of Bradley’s immaculate drum and bass work. Musically, however, it’s nowhere near as wild as “The Ladder” or as serene as “How Does It Fly,” but for anyone looking for a straightforward rock song, then this will do the trick. Finally, the desert-tinged “Bottles and Chains” closes the EP with some bluesy acoustic guitar and a retro '60s beat. Although Filament Sound is sometimes hampered by a lack of hooks I believe that Spotted Owls is on the right track. This is a solid debut that displays a talented band that has a good amount of potential.
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BROTHER MAGH is the newest solo project from artist and performer Kip Batiz who recently released a four-song EP entitled Lost in Myself. The St Louis based artist made a name for himself as the singer and primary songwriter for The Device.
The EP begins with the title track “Lost In Myself” and it takes a minute for the band to lock onto a groove. When it does, the music is rock oriented and perhaps aligned with a band like Tool. There’s a mystical and mysterious flow to the music. The vocals are original and unique but I have to admit it did take a couple of listens for me to get adjusted to it. There’s a reverb laced vocal on top of the lead which gives this engaging effect. The music did sound very compressed, almost as if a ducking effect was happening at points. Some of the parts seemed to get a little lost in the mix. There’s an impressive sounding guitar solo to the song. Towards the end the drums barely hold on to a beat and instead indulge in fills. “Wicked Part of Me” is next and begins with morphing guitars, feedback and a beat. The vocal approach is different. It is almost this hybrid of rapping and singing. The band Linkin Park came to mind with a side of Marilyn Manson. Around the two-minute mark the drums do an all on assault which leads back into the verse. The hook is strong and powerful. “Don’t Love (The Man I’m Supposed To Be)” has a great groove. I loved the beat, bass line and guitar parts. It’s a little more of a lush song and in some ways more intimate. The vocals are subdued. The song does pick up some energy when the guitar parts add some distortion. I would say this is the catchiest song of the four and most likely the most single worthy. “Pans Shadow” is last and starts with a tranquil and relaxing ambient synth melody. An ominous sounding bass comes into the mix. Nothing locks in at first and it’s a bit like the band is warming up and building to something. Things come together and this is perhaps the heaviest sounding song, The guitars sound like waves of white noise and I thought the percussive elements were unique and original sounding. I was again reminded of the band Tool as well as Perfect Circle. It’s dark and ominous but quite infectious. As an engineer myself my main critique is that I wanted a little more clarity and separation in the mixes. I think a little less compression on some of the instruments could have helped. I found this to be a very solid EP from beginning to end. The four songs went together well which created a cohesive and seamless experience. I recommend listening to this EP from beginning to end to get fully absorbed in the power of the music. Take a listen.
J. Dylan Brock of San Francisco has been playing guitar since he was three years old, and it shows! Brock is currently the guitarist for Luce and E.L. Davis, and after decades of recording and touring, his latest solo album is called Hollow Moon.
Brock approached this project as “an instrumental concept record. I was wondering if I could tell a story that would captivate the listener. The record should sound like a journey with themes hidden inside.” The story concerns a wealthy but lonely individual who goes to the moon, discovers that it’s hollow, and comes to terms with that. “But it could also be about dreams, failures and acceptance.” Th lineup features Brock, Alex Cordrey and producer Adam Rossi. Recording and mastering took place at AR Audio in San Francisco by Adam Rossi. Brock notes: “Adam wanted the listener to feel like they were in the room with me so he set the mics up really close. This was a bit hard at times since I used some very old instruments such as a ukelin, autoharp and charango.” Brock also says that he likes learning new stringed instruments, which won’t be a surprise to anyone who hears these songs! Right off the bat, I can tell you this ain’t your average guitar instrumental album. The first few riffs of “To The Moon” are played on a muted acoustic guitar, but are quickly joined by a medieval troupe’s worth of stringed instruments, bass guitar and handclaps. The first “movement” is comprised of thick, joyful chords in dance-circle tempo. After a minute, everything stops for a short, almost classical dialogue between two guitars, before returning to the main theme and tempo. I’m hearing things that sound like mandolins, but with Brock’s wild and diverse instrument list, who can be sure? “Luna Maria” quickly takes a darker, moodier tone, with Brock playing in the lower range against a rich, bass-heavy background and possibly a kick drum. I’m also hearing something that sounds amazingly like a flute or other woodwind, though none are listed. Musically this is another composition with nearly classical levels of invention, with two distinct sections. The second part features an unexpected electric guitar paired with something like an accordion. “Hollow Moon” is based on the more banjo-sounding instruments alongside some sharp acoustic harmonics and Brock’s haunting E-bow guitar (this may be the flute sound I was hearing). “The Rum Ordeal” is a really cool changeup, with a central bassy acoustic guitar riff that could have come from heavy metal, in an easy dialogue with the more lush playing of the mandolin-sounding instruments. This track also features a gnarly organic beat. For me this is the song that had my finger hovering over the “purchase” button! “They Finally Danced in a Lunar Swirl” has one of those gorgeous storybook melodies where you’re certain you’ve heard it before in some long-ago classic. It starts simply but by the end it feels like a theme from an Italian romantic comedy. The concluding track “A Blanket of Stars” is built on a simple drone and an unhurried, sweet chord sequence that allows itself just a moment or two of dramatic power before receding like a lazy ocean wave. A gentle, perfect ending. As I said at the start, this is not your average guitar album, and is more than likely to bring a smile to your ears and heart.
Cleveland’s Altered Paradox was initially a solo project but has since expanded into a three-piece starting with The Ruins album. The band members consist of J. Paradox (vocals/guitars/keys/drums), pH>7 (bass/backing vocals) and THUD (keys/backing vocals). The trio started in and around the Cleveland, Ohio area. On the trio’s debut, all recording, mixing and mastering was done at home, using an outdated version of GarageBand, choosing not to rely on post-production effects to maintain a “rawer” sound. Prior albums only had J. Paradox on them, but with the addition of pH>7 and THUD to the band, their sound resulted in an album that was overall fun to make. Described as "dark metal" with some grunge influences as well as experimental, the band was mostly trying to achieve some sort of horror element on The Ruins.
Song topics mostly revolve around ongoing processes of the human mind, for example, compulsive lying on “Pseudo," questioning your beliefs on "The Great Dissolve,” causality on "Nebula Realm" and dwelling on your mistakes on "The Ruins.” And to make your listening pleasure more, let’s say – colorfully intense, the band’s Bandcamp site states this – “Welcome to The Ruins, a once overcrowded tourist attraction that has over the course of time, suffered some various setbacks. What stands now is nothing more than an embodiment of all your worst fears and memories. So, get in line on the abandoned roller coaster that still hangs arounds and take the front row seat through depravity.” First off is “Incandesce” which makes me think what would have happened if Nirvana would have played ten times darker/heavier/rawer and then paired up with some dark metal band, added some extra rage singing for good measure and plenty of great guitar solo action. You might come up with a band called Altered Paradox. Anyway, J. Paradox’s voice kind of reminded me of Cobain’s – but just a bit. Oh, as far as lyrics go, this one’s about burning in the lake of fire. Next is “Pseudo” and it features a catchy guitar intro and lots of rumbling drumming. What I liked best about this track was how the instruments were arranged and played, it just had a nice groove to it. And it also has a fantastic guitar solo, too. Lyrically, this one showcases just how deep lying can really go, and how dark it can be – “be careful what you wish for.” “The Great Dissolve” begins with a spooky sound, a tasty mix of minor chords, and a distorted solo lead layered on top. I wish I knew more dark metal/rage singing bands, but I’ve got nothing. I hate to compare these guys to Marilyn Manson – not going there – these guys are way better. Anyway lyrically, this is about as dark as any songwriting I know of. I mean seriously, I felt like my soul was sucked out of me just from reading the words. The next track “Divination” is about looking into the future – and judging from the band’s words here, the future, at least on an individual level, doesn’t sound good. Although the words “horrified by the visions / of what it to become / horrified by the world around / forever broken” does have a universal take as well. The band’s sound here takes on a haunting, heavy grunge feel with plenty of fantastic guitar thunder. “Datura” is the first of two instrumentals on the album. This track is a fury of distorted guitars and melodic bass tones, minor chords mostly. I think I counted about three- four chords played. Next up is “Missing” and the words describe some kind of trip into “hell” itself – whether that be the literal underworld of flames and constant torture, some insane asylum or some really, really bad Ponzi scheme – “they wanna know it all / before they bleed you dry / the wait is overflowing / not a soul knows why / they’re disguised as saviors / their plans aren’t clear / if you escape / then outrun your fear.” The next track “Nebula Realm” was one of my favorites. The beginning bass lines, the drum fills were way cool, and just how the whole song came together really stood out for me. This song deals with causality and features a truly fantastic guitar solo. “Obsequy” which is another name used for funeral rites or funeral ceremony, is for all those who really love rage/scream singing. Dark and foreboding, there’s certainly no shortage of it in this track. Some of the lyrics were also written in Latin. The next song “Memoriam” has more of a dark rock feel, a little lighter style perhaps, compared to the rest of the tracks and one of the best guitar solos on the album. Lyrically, with words like “no obituary” “closed casket service” and “corpse meet dumpster and let that trash fire burn” there’s no hope for the deceased’s afterlife in this tune. “Altered States III” is the band’s second instrumental. It begins with layered, echoing guitar sounds and then a buildup begins to happen, close to a minute in, with low rumbling drums and a searing guitar lead. The band repeats this measure after another minute, and then more drum fills come in, adding a richer dynamic to the song. The last track which is also the title to the album, “The Ruins” features haunting keyboard notes and a heavy, droning guitar sound. As mentioned before, this song is about dwelling on your mistakes – “This unrelenting world won’t cave / Its only goal is to deprave / you think you’ve had it bad before / just you wait / you’re locked behind the bolted door / that sealed your fate.” Dang, sounds like somebody made the worst mistake of their life! For fans of dark metal/rock – with a little experimentation around the edges – rage singing, crunchy, grinding distorted guitars and plenty of dark songwriting, look no further than Altered Paradox.
Noswal is a one-man progressive post-rock project from Portland, OR, who recently released his third album entitled Remembrance. This is one of those albums where it’s hard to believe there is only one man behind the project. It sounds like a live band and I say that as a compliment.
The artist mentions “ it is a fairly short album that is a mixture of heavy tracks in the vein of Tool, Mastodon, Russian Circles, Cloudkicker, Periphery and there are some lighter moments reminiscent of Plini, old Incubus, Tides of Man and Caspian.” Up first is “Closure” which ironically enough sounds more like an intro. You get some fuzzy, tremolo infused guitars that combine with drums, bass and long pads. It reminded me of Explosions in the Sky and felt comforting with a warm sense of solace. The album picks up with “Weeping Willows” which is a perfect name for the song. There’s a sweet sense of sadness here that mixes with a lot of movement. A little before the three-minute mark we are introduced to distortion. The song rocks and sounds epic. There were similarities to the band Deafheaven in terms of the scope and intensity I felt. “Clarity” gets down to business with fast moving drum parts and slaying guitar parts. This song is like a mix of prog and metal. It feels like an onslaught of sound and this is where the artist displays some serious technical skills. “Permanent Rain” is a killer song and is the arguable highlight. The lead guitar work absolutely soars but there’s also a ton of lush moments as well. This song shows the versatility of the styles he can play. There’s a little bit of rock opera type of dynamic here. We get a breather with “Wander” which contains some beautiful atmosphere. The song almost has this jazzy quality that I thought was very cool sounding mixed with some prog rock. “Underneath” rocks hard and is more aligned with a band like Tool or Perfect Circle while “Patterns of Thinking.” We get one more breather with “Never Again” before going into the closer “Ignite the Light” which rocks hard in the spirit of early Metallica. This is an epic album. It sounds huge and seamlessly combines elements of post-rock, metal and alternative into a signature sound. Fans of the aforementioned should love this. Recommended.
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Indie rock trio Bela & the Ethermen formed in Melbourne, Australia during what they’ve considered to be “the longest lockdown in the world.” Prior to their formation, Damian Pitcon and Steve Mayhew had been active in the music industry for quite some time, but it wasn’t until the global COVID-19 pandemic that they had the idea to create music “through the ether, hence the moniker ‘The Ethermen.’” They enlisted Sam Irving to play drums and cello for them and decided to work on the entirety of their debut album remotely. That album turned out to be the fourteen-track odyssey, Ghosts of the Sea.
Understandably, Ghosts of the Sea was entirely self-produced by Pitcon himself, although he and Mayhew share songwriting credits. It was then mastered by Tan Kim Poh over in Singapore. Whereas Pitcon and Mayhew used Ableton for all of their parts, Irving used Reaper for all of his. Despite the different DAWs used along with the fact that everything was done virtually, each song on the record sounds like it was recorded together at once. Appropriately enough, the first cut happens to be titled “Her Ghost” (there is another one with “ghost” in it that is named after the album itself, but I’ll get to that song later). This lush, sweeping song about a devastating loss is not unlike Dark Side-era Pink Floyd, and the downbeat music suits the theme of grief and sorrow quite well. The twinkling “Fridge Is Still On” adequately complements “Her Ghost” with its indie-sphere vocal harmonies, soft beats and gentle guitars in addition to being the second longest piece behind the title track. Cool waves of watery electrics envelop “The Bay,” a much more upbeat tune with some lyrical standouts (“And all night long the crashing waves / Break upon the stubborn rocks”). We get more of an earthy twang on “Dirty House,” which wouldn’t sound out of place on some sort of country or Americana LP, only for the album’s tone to turn towards wistfulness yet again on “First Sun.” The lyrics on this one are sparser, which is great in this case, because it allows the music to speak for itself, and indeed, it does exactly that. Bleeding in from “First Sun” is “Colours in the Sky.” Unlike most of these cuts, “Colours in the Sky” rides a post-punk type drum pattern, interestingly enough. However, this is a welcome change in rhythm as well as tempo. It also features both acoustics and electrics along with more gorgeous vocal harmonies. “Follow Me” is interesting as well. The guitar licks on this one bend and glide like none other I’ve heard from Ghosts of the Sea so far, with mournful stretches of piano only adding to this track’s allure. “Cat Alleyways” hearkens back to ‘70s soft rock, albeit under a very brief runtime, making way for the intensely poetic title track. “Ghosts of the Sea” quite possibly represents everything that makes this album so enduring: elegant words like “My darling one / Now we are just ghosts of the sea” and evocative atmospheres reminiscent of dark skies. It is yet another song to have that sweeping style of instrumentation made complete with its lunar electric guitar flourishes. “Eyes” offers a more skeletal take on soft indie rock, even if it isn’t as hook-laden as “Colours in the Sky” or “Ghosts of the Sea.” Stripping themselves down to their barest bones was likely a smart idea. “Lonesome Moon” reads like a poem on paper, being three stanzas long and all, but in practice, I get why this was chosen as one of their singles, as it is just as rich and majestic as other Bela & the Ethermen tracks. “Patterns” again purposefully keeps the tempo slow and satisfying. It is also attached to a beautiful swoon of a chorus. Along comes the pair of tracks closing the record. Bela have never sounded more overtly pop than with “Song of the Birds.” This one along with closer “Stranger’s Trail,” is a lovely resolution to an album about despair. The “ticking clock” snare edges of “Stranger’s Trail” are smoothly produced and mixed, and overall, while not having much of a catchy melody, it still makes Ghosts of the Sea sound complete, nonetheless. Normally with an album that’s fourteen tracks long, I would just pick and choose which songs I wanted to highlight. That is shockingly not the case with Bela & the Ethermen’s debut effort. Ghosts of the Sea features so many different musical flavors that I have to commend the band for being able to make their remote sessions sound this organic as well as cohesive. All in all, this is a stellar debut. Strongly recommended!
Buffalo Commons is a highly popular acoustic-based band from Steamboat Springs, Colorado (heck, if I lived there, I’d start a band too!). They’ve just released their first full length album titled Patterns.
Starting out together in 2017, Buffalo Commons is known for its harmonizing vocals, tight musicianship and infectious energy. They also have a large and loyal “herd” of fans who love dancing along to their live shows. The band members include Tyree Woods (guitar/vocals), Denton Turner (upright bass), Eric Baker (mandolin), Randy Kelley (fiddle), Dan Harris (banjo) and Tyler Cain (drums). Though this is a band that mostly lets the music speak for itself (with very few notes sent to this reviewer), they do feel that this album “does a good job of capturing the diversity within our music.” Patterns was produced by Tyler Grant, with recording by Aaron Youngberg at Swing Fingers Studio in Fort Collins, Colorado and mastering by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering. All songs were written by guitarist Tyree Woods. “Addy” kicks in with some upbeat, syncopated folk sounds. Woods’ acoustic guitar and lower-pitched vocals are the first elements to be noticed, followed by Kelley’s fiddle, Baker’s mandolin and Harris’s banjo. Turner on bass and Cain on drums do a clean and efficient job holding down the bottom. The vocals, if not necessarily the music, feel a bit like the Barenaked Ladies. “Patterns” is said to feature producer Tyler Grant, though I’m not sure on what (possibly lead electric guitar). This song features one of my favorite sayings: “Youth is wasted on the young.” Ain’t it so! The mandolin and banjo are especially prominent here, for which I have no complaints. Really nice chorus harmonies as well. “My Way Home” approaches rockabilly with a lively one-two beat and somehow sounds like it’s recorded in a big hall: the jumpin’ energy of the performances somehow fill in the missing audience in my mind as I’m listening. Great fretwork throughout, and though the lyrics are just wading-pool deep, they make for a great sing-along. “Grit” is the first minor key track, again featuring a one-two beat and telling a familiar tale of outlaws on the run (or guys outrunning their women). Great middle section where the percussion drops out and the guys build variations on the central 4-note melody. “In These Hands” is a surprisingly soulful detour, especially for Woods’ vocals. The quick stops and starts, fiddle and backing vocals remind me of the classic Dan Hicks Band. “Morning Fire” is a notably gentler, quieter track featuring Luke Story (trumpet?) and Alysaa Medina (second vocal). It’s a kind of retro mashup of “If It Don’t Work Out” and “Ebb Tide.” At any rate it feels like something that could have been released in the 1960’s, including Wes Montgomery-style 12-string electric guitar. Turner’s upright bass is essential here. The second half picks up the tempo for more of a Latin flavor. “Cannonball Jones” is another propulsive minor key gem about a bad guy (or at least someone cooler than us) and the playing here is as good as it gets, especially an American Steel guitar solo by Woods. The vocals are downright funky. The closing track “Traveler” is either a true live performance, or more probably was created in the studio to SOUND live. Either way, it’s a great way to end the audio show (though I wish that audience would quiet down a little!). All the players take a curtain call. The chorus singers feel especially big and beefy here, like a revival show choir. This is music for a good time, so if you’re up for it, what are you waiting for?!
to be frank is the latest release from the lo-fi dream-pop artist known as: maybe if i knew everything. This solo project is an important piece of work that delves into the 21-year-old’s experience with anxiety, depression, grief and loss. While he claims that subtlety is not his strong point, perhaps it’s better not to mince one’s words when it comes to such important topics. Sometimes, it’s better to hit the nail on the head.
This 12-track album begins with the intriguingly-named “the boys are leaving this mortal vessel.” What I like about this album is that no song overstays its welcome. The intro is a mere two-minutes-and-41 seconds in length, and most of the tracks are just as short, if not shorter. I think it forces maybe if i knew everything “to be frank,” so to speak. He has to cram a song’s concept into a severely-limited space, so there’s no room for filler. This intro track is a crescendo of overlapping vocals, chanting various repetitive lines over a slowly plodding beat and a serene guitar passage. It’s an opener that gives very little away about the overall vibe and musical direction of the album. But I like that. I like not knowing everything about an artist from one song. “108” is driven by sublime vocals, drenched in so much reverb that they float in the far distance, barely audible over the beautiful guitar melody. This is such a soothing song. It feels like a psychedelic lullaby. Then, unexpectedly, “on and on” pummels with a distorted and yet flanger-heavy guitar passage that feels brutal but still, somehow, dream-like. It merges so well with the glitchy, catchy, electronic beat. I love the vocals, too; they sound almost as if they were sung underwater, warbling in perfect synchronicity with the wavering guitar line. “the capsule” is a return to serenity, dominated by drawn-out synth notes and a clean, surreal guitar rhythm. There is some beautiful whisper-singing on this track. “g unit” is driven by a deep, resonant bass line and an electronic beat that possesses almost a tribal quality. I love the tender guitar-work and the long vocal notes on this one. “interlude” is a funny title for the next track; it’s just as short as any of the other songs on this album. But it has a lovely, haunting quality to it. I love the bluesy, dissonant feel to the guitar-work. It almost has a System of a Down edge to it, though I wasn’t expecting a heavy metal breakdown at any point. The interlude transitions neatly into “2001.” This gentle, melancholic ballad is the longest song on the album, with a runtime of four-and-a-half minutes. Interestingly, it’s more instrumentally simplistic than many of the shorter songs on the album. It’s mostly just a man and his acoustic guitar, with a light spattering of percussion. “all of me” is another dreamy acoustic ballad. I love the vocal rhythm on this one; there’s almost a staccato-style to the singing, and it contrasts really uniquely with the tender guitar-work. It especially works with the more explicit lyrics; the hint of anger and passion in the vocals are a surprise when compared with the tender nature of the instrumentation. It leads into “field,” which is another ethereal guitar melody. This time, there’s a punchy drum beat, which creates a substantive dynamic in an otherwise-simple instrumental track. “dont play / dont run” is the shortest song on the track, and it’s also the one I most wish had been stretched out. It has an infectious melody, even though it’s no more than vocals and an acoustic guitar. One-minute-and-two seconds feels way too short. The same can be said for “thoughts.” Another one of the best melodies on the album, and there’s an excellent vocal melody on this track, but it’s all over after less than two minutes. Still, to be frank closes on a high note with a superbly-dreamy outro. “loopey fiasco” is driven by a clean electric guitar that has been washed in so much reverb that it seems to echo into an endless abyss. It’s a beautiful ending.
Novelty Grill is a solo artist based out of Austin, TX, who recently released Detached Garage. The artist mentions “This album is a spacy mix of synthwave style drums and 70s style synth tones and melodies over a bed of chillwave sounding pads and polys. The bass lines are heavily influenced by prog rock greats like Chris Squire and Mike Rutherford as well as my own friend Clay Ratliff who is bass player and band master of the Reggae band I play keyboards in.”
The album gets grooving with “Temporal Tape Measure” and revolves around airy synths, pads, a 4/4 beat and an overall otherworldly and celestial type of feeling. The song has a lead synth which is the focal point. Something about the song feels like light when it comes to the emotion, almost playful. On the artist’s Bandcamp page it mentions Boards of Canada. I’ve been a fan of them since the ’90s and this song does have some similarities. The groove is intact and is actually quite danceable but it does have the sense you are exploring the cosmos. “Underwater Sand Blaster” has a cool effect with a filter where the low end slowly fades in. It’s the shortest song on the album but has a great mix of tones and textures. “Hyperdriver” was the first song that sounded a bit like Tame Impala to me. The grooves were great. I loved the layering especially on the low end. This song felt like a certified highlight. “Solar Sail Bicycle” is very playful sounding song and contains a a child-like innocence. It’s also more grounded and not as vast which isn’t a bad thing. “Inverted Palette” is up next and I thought this song has some really cool production. The drums and bass drag with a jazzy beat that sounds mechanical but fits the song well. “Zero Gravity Workbench” has an upbeat and joyous flavor to it. The lead synth sounds very cool as it morphs and changes. I was thinking of the band Animal Collective when listening to this song. “Holographic Tennis Ball” and “Spacetime Adhesive/Remover” further establish the sound of the artist. “Extra Wood Dimension” is the closer and also contains one of the more notable grooves on the album which flirts with reggae. This is the type of album that benefits from being listened to from beginning to end. It has a flow to it and I appreciated the individual songs more when listening sequentially. Fans of the aforementioned artists should enjoy this. Take a listen.
Nate Sparks is a singer/songwriter from Chesapeake, VA, who has released multiple alt country/rockabilly albums and recently released an EP entitled Moonshine On. The EP contains four songs that cross pollinate between rock, bluegrass, country and folk.
Sparks mentions “This is a collaborative project from top to bottom with lyrics written and sung by me but tracks from Norwegian producer Jan Helge Ness, Nashville steel player and producer Gary Carter and my own production on the title track.” The EP begins with the title track “Moonshine On” which felt like a single to my ears. It’s a catchy tune with an upbeat energy and a memorable chorus. The song revolves around organ, crunchy guitars, bass and rock oriented drumming. Sparks has a serious country southern vocal that mixes perfectly with the music. It was a good choice for an opener that was accessible and easy to appreciate. “My Forever Song” is much more subdued, intimate and melancholy. It’s also a tender love song that seems to be about gratitude. The guitars are warm but twinkle and something about the song made me feel like I was resting by a fire. Sparks sounds great here. His deep baritone covers the mix and there are a lot of emotions simply coming from the vocals. The EP does a 180 in terms of energy when you hear “Grateful.” Something about this song reminded me of Bruce Springsteen if he leaned more into a country and bluegrass vibe. I loved the rolling snare drum on this song and the guitar work. The groove and upbeat energy is certainly dance worthy. This is the type of song you would want to hear in a live setting. I think it would be a crowd favorite. Last up is “Does She Ever Think of Me” which goes back into a similar energy of “My Forever Song.” The theme however is the opposite. This seems to be about a romantic separation. The song is silky and smooth. Although it’s quite melancholy the music itself feels like a bed of solace. It’s the most pensive song of the batch. This EP displayed some range in terms of the energy. I also felt the four songs did a good job displaying the signature sound of Sparks. The production and songwriting was top notch but most importantly the songs felt hornets and relatable. Recommended.
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May 2024
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