Clash Bowley - Escapee

​Clash Bowley

Escapee
self-release; 2024

​​​By ​Dino DiMuro

Boston’s Clash Bowley pretty much defines “prolific.” In fact I just reviewed his previous release a couple months ago! The Clash is Back with another full-length album titled Escapee, which is his 40th. (He’s released yet another album while I was writing this review!)

​As I’ve said before, you can get a crash course in Clash Bowley simply by reading past reviews on this very site. Suffice to say that Bowley is a one-man band who not only writes, plays and records all his parts, but mixes the albums and creates his own striking artwork. His genres of influence include orchestral, swing jazz, new wave and electronica. His performance style is mostly based on his unique vocals, which is his main “compositional” instrument. 

Bowley created this new album around the theme of “all of us being prisoners of something or someone, willingly or not. When I was half way done with this album I walked away, intending to quit again, but the music burst out of me when I had held it in for a week, and I had to let it flow.” Bowley’s songs average about three minutes each, featuring one central idea that he plays around with before quickly moving onto the next one. 

“Prisoner” starts with a tumbling techno rhythm and call-and-response vocals that remind me of classic Brian Eno. The guitars are quite phasey and funky. Looking at the printed lyrics (thanks, Clash!) I’m reminded that Bowley’s librettos are generally minimalist in nature, with just enough words to convey the point and have a bit of fun. In this song, being a prisoner is described more as a captive of intense, burning love. “Nothing” has a locomotive rhythm with a fuzz guitar in “nasal” setting while Bowley sings over the top, adding one of his signature otherworldly lead guitar breaks almost immediately. This one almost feels like an early demo, which is a quality I quite enjoy. 

The title track “Escapee” doubles down on the wah wah guitar. Given the vocal intensity, I guess the “prisoner” from track one wasn’t so happy after all! Listening to this track in the car, I thought Bowley was singing “S.K.P. Running Free” in the choruses, which I found weirdly endearing. With “Pity” I started to realize that Bowley is sticking to similar arrangements this time around: drum pattern, congested bass, phasing guitars and somewhat portentous vocals. “No!” is one of Clash’s more clever ideas. The main lyric line is basically “This is the ‘No!’ song, baby” and he sings those words over and over with different harmonies and variations against an Island influenced, conga line beat. 

“Breakers” in another context might play as a heavy metal track, thanks mostly to the sledgehammer guitar and the “romantic” lyrics sung as if Bowley were describing a nuclear apocalypse.  The title “Lycan” was already familiar to me, having cut sound effects for an “Underworld” movie (basically, it’s a werewolf). Bowley sings in his best Werewolves of London growl, while the always-phasing guitars saw away behind him. “Opportunity” features a fun, percolating beat and what sounds like an acoustic guitar played beneath a pillow. The final track “Win” takes a somber turn as Bowley narrates the song for his late sister Karen, who lost her long battle with cancer this year. It’s got all the Bowley trademarks but really does feel sad and regretful. 

Overall I really enjoy that phasey, wah wah thing Bowley does, but I hope it’s not sacrilegious to suggest he might try different guitar settings in the future. He certainly works fast enough that he could explore different approaches! That said, this is another fine example of his unique style of songwriting and recording.