Steve Woodman is a Canadian solo artist recording as First Frost, and is based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. His new album is the self-titled First Frost and was inspired by film scores, video game music and early prog rock. Woodman states: “Pushing conventional song structures aside, this music draws inspiration from a wide swath of genres.” Woodman recorded in his own basement using a simple guitar, bass and drums setup “with free software and limited knowledge.”
“Reflection Pool” immediately establishes an early prog rock vibe, as promised. You can name several bands that seem to have influenced this music: Yes, Steve Hillage, Gong, and early Genesis are just a few examples. Woodman is right that he’s not using conventional song structures, as this track seems to float along from moment to moment. “Sun Soaked Seaside Soup Soup” jumps to the math rock style of progressive with fast melodies and quick changes, before settling into a more relaxed groove. “The Steady” features a spacey tremolo guitar riff at its center, with a steady Chris Squire baseline and synth and guitar variations floating around the edges. Alternating back to complexity, “Soft Sell” is a supersonic-paced workout with blinding guitar histrionics and multiple tempo shifts. The hardcore guitar sections push Woodman’s recording setup to the limit, but stops just short of total overload. “Digital Heroics” is a pleasing medium tempo guitar pattern with lots of echo with Woodman’s hardcore overdubs jumping in at will. At this point it’s clear there’s some limitations in Woodman’s studio setup, as many of the stacked melodies get lost when playing together. I found myself wishing for a wider and more detailed mix, because the goods are definitely there. “Lunch in Lo-fi” is a short space-blues that has been compressed to the absolute max. It’s a bit much for headphones but might sound awesome in a club. “Top Ten Degrassi Betrayals” is a longish and heavy guitar track where once again I love the melodies but wish they were a bit clearer. “At Our Speed” is another prog rocker, this time with a Hendrix-type chord as its basis, which then moves into an epic Yes “Relayer”-like musical collage. Musically one of my top picks! This is followed by a similar stylistic sandwich titled “Cross The Glass Ocean.” The album closes with “The Wolf And The Winter Cold” which is based on a muted picking pattern with lots of echo. It’s a bit mellow and restrained and a nice way to end the show. I loved most of the music on this album but had to fight my way though the thick, center-heavy mix at times. Woodman clearly has the chops and the inspiration for recording, but could use some help in the mixing and mastering stages. That said, there’s plenty to enjoy here and I’m sure Woodman will just get better and more experienced with time.
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