Michael McClellan is an artist who recently released Michael McClellan Presents Half Life. McClellan has been in a number of bands over the years but this is his first solo release. I think I would primarily call this a rock album, maybe even a hard rock album, but there are a lot of sub-genres he flirts with. There is a mix of other genres like funk but mostly sub-genres like Americana and prog-rock.
The album begins with “In The Beginning” and as soon as the song kicks in it goes back and forth between hard classic rock and a sort of funky Bowie like glam rock. There are a lot of unexpected transitions which on repeated listens felt seamless. “Tears”’ contains Led Zeppelin like slide guitar but the vocals are manipulated drastically using a pitch shifting which creates a very psychedelic soundscape. I was getting major Americana vibes on “Woke Me Up” that mixes with some '80s prog. I was not expecting the familiar bluegrass vibes on “The Weekend” but actually enjoyed it quite a bit. There are some very catchy songs and perhaps the most is “You Called Me an Artist” which seems to be a homage to '50s rock. As the album progresses there are some highlights. The fast moving and hyperbolic “Sabotage” was interesting and unique while “Muezzin Call '' has a warm yet subdued funk to it. Last but not least is “The Usher” which has a slight shoegaze vibe. The recording quality was solid for a recording. I think handing off the mixes to a professional mastering engineer could have helped in certain areas but overall I thought the mixes held up nicely. This is an album with a lot going on. It’s hard to pinpoint his sound because of that but there are some quality songs throughout. Recommended.
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