Trap Kit is an artist from Rapid City, South Dakota who recently released Live in New York City. The EP contains a live performance and is just guitar and vocals. I remember being in college in 2001 and going to open mics. As a music major myself I liked the slightly competitive nature. There would inevitably be a couple of musicians that would sound similar to Trap Kit. Trap Kit has the sound of what I think of when I hear the genre singer/songwriter. It’s that intimate, tortured artist type vocal delivery where the vocalist attempts to create a stoic, reflective stillness in the air.
This genre is nothing new but Trap Kit certainly has some talent. I’m sure he would make a couple of heads turn if you were at an open mic. As a guitar teacher myself it takes a lot to impress me in terms of technical skill. Although I can’t say I heard anything on the level of a guitarist like Kristian Matsson it’s also much more advanced than strumming a couple of minor and major chords. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his playing was his understanding of dynamics. This is pretty essential when playing solo on guitar which can quickly lose a fan’s interest if you aren’t changing up the energy quite often. Trap Kit is also quite a talented vocalist. He has no problem putting plenty of emotion into “City by the Last Night” and “Seem To Hang.” Perhaps his best vocal performance was “Kiss for a Basket.” I was reminded of of midwestern folk on “The Boots, the Patter and the Run.” There is more nostalgic melancholy on “Summer Swimmin’” and “The White Horse (Texas Time).” I’m sure Live in New York City is just the beginning for the artist. At the very least he established himself as a good singer and guitarist on this EP. I’m interested in hearing bigger arrangements and more from this artist.
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First of all, I would like to formally welcome Road To Ruin back to Divide & Conquer for their third review. For those unaware, Road To Ruin is a distinctive rock band out of Brooklyn, New York, that bleeds beautifully all over the musical genre spectrum. Their latest is album is Don't Envy The Wheels and it's a theatrical romp that puts a focus on the bare bone elements that make rock music so damn fun. So is the third time a charm? From my perspective, this album definitely had its charms.
These songs are thick with narrative and ass backwards metaphors. There are lot of great vocalists on this album. Everyone packs a punch that leaves quite an impression. Miles Stenhouse is a big driving factor behind the group providing lead vocals, keys, guitar and even percussion. He's also the songwriter and he's a damn fine one. He is very conversational in his writing. He is a heavy duty story teller who bounces from literal to metaphysical without breaking a sweat. It all feels very natural. I love his ability to make these leaps. There were a few songs that got a little too Randy Newman for me where the narrative felt like it was just being spoken to me in the verses. Good example of this would be the track "Afford To Love" but the chorus is pretty damn catchy so it made it up for that. Same thing goes for the track “Natural." The lyrics are bit too much along the lines of a blog post, but again, that damn catchy chorus. I think a little editing back on the words would have helped from me feeling like the lyrics were fighting the natural structure of the songs. As I said these guys are all over the genre map and I like their sense of freedom with it. They're not afraid to get downright hokey with a solid Americana feel like "Don't Envy The Wheels." I may not be a massive fan of when they go all the way out on the limb, but I can appreciate their passion for it. I also noticed some of the slower songs tended to get mixed up in my head. These slower songs are often the ones packed with so much lyrical content. I preferred when they leaned more to the quirky indie side. Songs like "Build a Day," "Dark Cloud" and "Feel It" were a good blend of the genre elements. The music has the meat of iconic rock songs, but then that meat is seasoned and marinaded in quirky indie nonsense. It works. While it may sound like there's not a lot of bells and whistles here, there's actually quite a few but they are blended so well into the music that they're almost invisible which is a mark of solid mixing talent. This is a catchy, feel good, heartfelt time that I recommend for anyone who is need of one of those.
Israeli-American Yaron Kaver has released his debut Away Too Long just this past October. Currently he has a home in the Bronx, and his album was recorded in multiple studios, including home studios. Both Israeli musician Yonaton Levital and New York musician Jack Mullin of the band Dolphin Pal helped out. The album was both mixed and mastered in Israel by Levital, Shai Mantzur and Yoram Vazan. Musically Away Too Long is a mix of indie, folk and alternative acoustic. Influences include: John Martyn, Sufjan Stevens, Ian Ball and early ‘90s alternative. Kaver’s wish is for his album to take all the styles and blend them into something new.
The opening number is the same title as the album’s and right away, the mix is warm and inviting and the overall sound is quite pleasant. Lyrically, Kaver seems to be singing about revealing himself in some way or a coming back to something he once did or knew. The real treat is at the end with the addition of a horn section, for those who like horns of course. “Take My Way” takes things slow in a swinging rhythm style on the ukulele and a rolling beat on the drums. Again, Kaver’s sound is rich and warm and the additions of the glockenspiel and an extra vocal make this short song shine. “In a Room” has a real quiet and tender feel with just Kaver on the ukulele, and additional electric guitar and violin added. The words seem to suggest he is packing up and moving away to some place new. “Rounds” is another great song with warm tones and gentle rhythms. I really liked the melody on the chorus part. The overall style has new folkish flavors and a light, inspirational feel. “Glad That You’re Safe” features a smooth, mellow sound and spacious sparse playing between the guitar and violin. Lyrically, the song reads like a “Dear John” letter – “Send me all your letters in the mail / I want to be touching what you say / Wait for the pain” and then later, “Glad that you met him… Glad that you kept it / glad that you’re safe.” The shortest song on the album is “A Reminder” and features a steady, rolling rhythm on the acoustic and a marching beat on the drums. I thought the words were introspective and I loved the arrangements Kaver and others did on this one – a refreshing sound and style overall. The ending track “Gold” showcases some additional guitar work on bass and electric and fantastic piano sounds by Yonatan Levital. The lyrics are excerpted from the poem “Twilights” by Roger Ray Johnson. The song’s overall style felt to me like contemporary folk, with alternative and mellow alt-country flavors. I really enjoyed Away Too Long, not only for its refreshing takes on folk, alt and indie acoustic styles. Production wise, the entire album sounded cohesive and solid. Kaver’s songwriting is introspective, thoughtful and quite poetic, as he uses few words on some of his songs. Also, to me, not one song was out of place and with the additional instruments added (you can see more info on that on Kaver’s Bandcamp site), I came away thinking I’ve just heard something special and definitely worth listening to again.
Ben Slavin is an American folksinger who was born and reared in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. After receiving a vocal (opera) degree from Arizona State Slavin moved to Milan, Italy where he has resided for the past twenty years. While living in Milan he met a singer named Odette Di Maio and the pair formed the folk-pop duo The March. The pair recorded an album and toured it both in Europe and America earning various accolades.
Now with his latest solo project he has released the record The Pines which was recorded in both Naples and Verona with producer and multi-instrumentalist Andrea Faccioli. On this record which is steeped in American folk rock he explores his life’s journey so far as he grapples with a life that is so different from where he was born. The concept of a bildungsroman musical album is nothing new but it seems to be a very freeing way for many artists to come to terms with the places they knew in their youth in relation to places they now inhabit. The opening song “To Wait My Love” is a classic slow rolling folk guitar, melodic and pure vibraphones echo in the background as Slavin’s vocals do the rest. They are nothing over the top as one would expect from an operatically trained singer, but has just enough power to not sour the rest of the beauty behind him. Things pick up to a bit more of a banjo-style folk beat on “Ode To Clitumnus” which is a powerful folk ballad on which Slavin is really able to show off his chops. Later he begins to experiment more and the record becomes a more open process and not letting itself get too trapped into that American folk genre which seems to be more popular than ever both here in America and abroad. “Lemon Biscuit Tin” is only thirty-six-seconds long but it’s haunting and very different from everything that’s come before and has perhaps an operatic feel to it. Next comes the beautiful and hearty “The Pines Ii – Mausoleum” which doesn’t necessarily break the folk mold but rather pushes the edges out a bit. Where Slavin exceeds on The Pines is when he’s composing his songs to a more experimental and perhaps operatic frequency in the folk vein. However it was really never taken to a higher level which I would have expected given his vocal training and his open European landscape. Perhaps the pine barrens of New Jersey are not quite the moveable feast that was Hemingway’s Paris, or perhaps Slavins memory of them is too far faded.
The Yellow Fevers is a band of actual brothers that released August which is a three-song EP. They describe it as a mix of punk bands like Green Day, blink-182 and Sum 41. The most evident by a far margin is Green Day. It’s not just the chord progressions but the inflection in the singing which sounds inarguably similar to Billie Joe.
Here's the thing. It’s really difficult to get a following if you sound too much like another band. On that note I have a suggestion. As I was listening to “Make It Out Alive” and “Trapped In Time” I was impressed by the songs. There are a bunch of hooks, the songs are well constructed and the band is also tight. The other thing that occurred to me is if the band made a couple adjustments in certain areas they would sound like a couple of other rock bands. The bands The Smiths and Neutral Milk Hotel come to mind. My thought is to take a little more from bands like The Smiths and Neutral Milk Hotel and less from Green Day so that The Yellow Fevers could carve out a more defined signature sound. The last song “Real Talk” felt like straight up ’90s punk. Similar to the previous songs it’s also really well written and there are a ton of hooks. Apparently the band recorded the song in six hours. It sounds like a well engineered demo but I can't say it sounds studio quality. The lo-fi aspect of the recording actually sounds solid with these types of songs which give it a live quality even if it wasn't all recorded live. I think the Yellow Fevers is on to something with their music. As of right now they fall into a case of wait and see but I look forward to their evolution.
The Ions is a Chicago west suburban band that has been jamming together for five years. What started out as a ‘70s and ‘80s cover band has evolved into their own identity while keeping the classic sound. Guitarist Steve Shonder writes and sings his own songs. His bandmates refer to him as “Band Boss.” Shonder has been writing songs for a long time. Once The Ions started to play the songs live, they realized the crowd enjoyed them so Shonder continued to write. The blend the styles of Alice Cooper and The Beatles with a dash of early Radiohead.
Atom Butterfly begins with the upbeat track “For Blanche.” While the vibe might bring pleasant happiness, the lyrics are a message of straight paranoia. “Worry about the Kennedys. You know that he’s your enemy. And you’re never going to get away; because the FBI is in your doorway.” The following track is “Do Not Disturb Me.” While a decent song with a catchy chorus, it sounds like something more in tune with something a teenage punk band would play rather than a middle age group. “The Strain” is the album’s strongest song. It’s a bit poppy but the smooth guitar riffs and the vocals of Shonders really gel well together. At this point, The Ions find their sound jamming for several songs such as trance song “Hot and Cold,” where drummer Kevin Belsey’s booming sound keeps listeners awake while the overdubbed vocals sooth you. “Not the Only One” on the other hand makes you want to get up and shake loose from start to finish. It’s rugged and sexy at the same time. Atom Butterfly stumbles in the beginning with the first few songs being a bit jarring taking listeners by surprise. It had an inconsistent flow that could’ve been fixed by switching the order of songs. However by the halfway point, The Ions find their footing with “The Strain” and “Hot and Cold.” From there they continue to jam out and get an upbeat, fun tune all the way through. Things only slow down on “Something Happened in Heaven,” which is to be expected when most of the album is an adrenaline rush. Not a bad debut from the west suburban group.
Max Brown is an artist who recently released Every Bare Bit of Bone which is a five-song EP. The songs are atmospheric rock with elements of shoegaze and ambient genres.
The EP gets going with the title track “Every Bare Bit of Bone.” The music is drenched in reverb and delay effects as you might assume. It sounds somewhere between notable shoegaze bands like Slowdive and something more pop oriented like U2. The song is fairly hypnotic and repetitive but I can’t say the hooks really jumped out at me. It was hard to tell if there was much difference between the verse and the chorus. Up next is “Move On” which had my attention. The song feels submerged at its best. Synths hang low in the mix with an inventive beat pushing the energy forward. The delay is subtle yet effective. “Silver Feather” is a little more pop oriented. “House of Leaves” felt like the highlight. Brown seems to have his most success as a vocalist on this track. The pitch felt more in his range and he seems to excel when the singing is more subdued in general. On top of that the hook felt more memorable. Last up is “Silhouette” which is one of the more ambient tracks. It sounds more in line with a band like Auburn Lull. There are moments of beauty and his vocals sound solid on this song. I think Brown should just go full on ambient similar to Windy & Carl or Auburn Lull. I’m not always a fan of a lot of reverbs but I think his vocals should feel more submerged and just as pretty and beautiful. The aesthetics of Sigur Rós come to mind. In all likelihood Brown will have to get out of the bedroom style production to fully embrace this style of music. Simple things like the digital glitches I heard need to be removed regardless of the quality but there is a lot of work that could be done with the engineering to get the aesthetic I know Brown is looking for. Every Bare Bit of Bone certainly has its moments and shows a lot of potential as well. I look forward to the evolution of the artist.
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Over the past two years, Drew Chester worked on a project unlike any other he’s done with the usual band format. So, on his debut,Waiting., he decided to go solo and try his hand at recording and engineering the entire album himself out of his apartment. Later on, drums were recorded at Chalet Recording Studio, the mixing done by Dave Featherstone and the mastering by Noah Mintz at Lacquer Channel Mastering. Chester’s influences are a mix of many styles and he describes his work as alternative, acoustic and vocal pop. Waiting. chronicles the high peaks and low valleys of Chester’s ten-year journey while trying to break into the music industry.
“One More Time” begins with a sweet, soft indie rock feel that was easy to like, but what caught my ears right away was Drew Chester’s voice. The high and low mellow tones of his voice will be easily recognizable if he decides to stay in the music industry for some time. I’m no record executive or talent scout, but I just have a hunch as a music fan – that’s all. “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” features a pleasant folkish rock ‘n roll feel. Kind of in the same vein as Wilco or some band like them. Again, I was fixated on how likable Chester’s voice was. “Discovery” has a more contemporary country rock feel with bits of inspirational indie folk. Overall, I liked the lighter and happier vibes to this one, like taking a walk on a new spring day. “Let’s Dance” sounds bit more popish like newer Sting or folkish light rock like Ed Sheeran, but the kicker here is, that yes… this is a cover of David Bowie’s hugely popular 1983 hit. A very gutsy move to cover the icon of all icons (in my opinion), but I’m sure Bowie would have approved of Chester’s arrangements and style. Well done! Oh, and by the way, Chester has more videos on YouTube showing him singing other well-known songs from artists such as The Beatles, Neil Young and Radiohead. The title track of the album “Waiting” begins with gentle acoustic rhythms and “la-la-las” and continues on with gorgeous melodies and vocal harmonies. I really like the key the song is in – you know the one – that melancholy, sad key that makes your heart ache and gets you to feel the music. Overall, a very moving piece of work and one worth listening to again and again. “Reprise” is a replay of the first track “One More Time” except this time around the drums are thunderous and bold, the rhythm slower and the guitar belts out a little more of that indie rock jangle sound. I thought this version of the song stood out better because of its dreamy, slower beat and also for the additional electric guitar work. All things considered, this is a stellar debut.
Since one of the previous members of Fast Talkers left some time after the debut release of the Tampa based trio, it was expected that the remaining members would just disband and call it a day. Fortunately with the addition of a new drummer the band is back, and has since followed up their 2017 release, Suburban Nowhere with Awe of Majesticy. The group recruited the help of Frank Calcaterra at Atomic Audio Studios and of “DieAlps!” band, who they worked with on their first release. This time around, Awe of Majesticy has a dirtier and stripped-down live sound. All three songs on this short, but powerful EP are about as real and honest as any songwriting can get. Maybe you too will agree.
As the band explains on “Centered and Breathing” it was their most direct song. It’s about chasing those things in life that seem out of reach, whether it be love, success or keeping a band together. Over time, doubt and complacency set in and you get comfortable with letting things go… until it starts to bug your insides and you continue to pursue your dream – whatever that is. “You should probably stop while you are ahead / You sound a lot better in your head / But it ain’t over until its done / Might as well try for something you love” sums up the song’s mantra very well. I loved the ticking drumbeat and warm, crunchy guitar sounds that played off one another with breaks and spaces between chords. “Rat Traps” starts off with a quick feedback sound and then into a fast and hard, thrashing beat. This song has a lot going for it: quirky change ups, catchy guitar riffs, slow and fast instrument arrangements and just all-around fantastic energy. The words in the song were influenced while Cheech, the band’s vocalist, keyboardist and guitar player, was living with his uncle during the housing market crash of 2008. Rat traps reference actual traps that were set out at his uncle’s former home – “baited and set in the vacant homes of attics.” Further on, the lyrics “The underwriter / Will send the fax / Just sign the line / It’ll just cost your life” pokes fun with some dark comedy in an otherwise real-life crappy situation. “Talking in Circles” is a dreamy and lofty sounding tune that starts off slow and easy, then picks up the tempo after most of the lyrics have been sung. It’s a song about not knowing where to go in life or which way one is headed, but at the same time, embracing the darkness that surrounds. The ending to the song gets really damn good, with its mix of energized alternative rock and just a bit of a beachy east coast sound to break things ups. Overall, there were some nice surprises from this Tampa trio’s second release. I hope to hear more soon.
The Dead Lennies is a band from Detroit, Michigan comprised of Z. Lawson (guitar/vocals), Spiz Onerski (guitar/vocals) and Nate Smith (bass). They got their start in 2016 and recently released George which is a six-song EP.
The band's lack of traditional drummer is not detrimental to the band's sound. In fact it was nice to have a little more space for the vocals to breathe. The focus is in fact the vocal work. Onerski and Lawson prefer acoustic guitars and they keep it simple. They strum major and minor chords for the most part and support the lead vocals. I would be surprised if Violent Femmes wasn’t an influence on the band because there are a lot of similarities from the execution to the overall feel of the songs. The band gets going with “Leggy Blonde” which is a highlight and also indicative of what else you can expect from the rest of the album. It’s an easy song to appreciate. The lyrics are fun and has a free summer night kind of feel to it. In fact I kept picturing the band playing at a beach party by a lake. “Old Empires” is next and another solid song. The vocal harmonies make all the different and give the song the dynamics it needs to keep you interested. “Watson 1st” has a similar feel and carefree vibe. “Senior Gringo” however displays shades of different emotions. It’s more melancholy. The lead vocals sound great here and are emotionally resonant and reflective. The energy picks up with “Glumgold” where the band sounds somewhere between The Pixies and Violent Femmes. On the closer “Maize” I was actually reminded very much of Frank Black from the Pixies. George is full of short, catchy songs with sing-along type melodies. This isn’t the kind of album that blows you away when it comes to technical ability but I found its strength to be in the accessibility of the songs. Take a listen. |
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