Projections - Illusions

Projections

Illusions
self-released; 2015

3.3 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

The four-piece band Projections consisting of Logan Conley (vocals/guitar), Page Parsley (lead guitar), Saylor Martin (bass guitar) and Wesley Prothro (drums) has been working on their first release Illusions for the last year and a half, which is about how long they have been together. The band is certainly within the embryonic stage of their development and they have some work to do before they can compete with ubiquitous names but have built a decent foundation with Illusions.

The recording is a DIY effort with the help of one of their friends. It’s nowhere near professional studio quality and things like a boxy snare and little separation are noticeable. That being said, some of the solid songwriting is able to shine through the mix. 

Projections is a straight forward rock band revolving around power chords, distortion and dynamics. It’s most reminiscent towards ‘90s rock post-grunge era type material. The LP is largely hit and miss. They get some stuff right and then there are some clear things they get wrong. 

One of the band's successes is the first track “Again.” The riffs aren’t anything new but the band plays in the pocket and has innate chemistry. Conley is clearly still working out the kinks as a singer. It's hard to understand what he is saying and he contains a bit of nasally twang that is more enjoyable the more you hear it. 

“Vicious Cycle” also displays some of the band’s strongest moments. The song hits its high point around the halfway mark. They show some inventiveness by abruptly stopping and breaking into creative and technical proficient bridge. The major misstep they have on “The Way It's Supposed To Be” is that the lead singer is backed by a second vocalist who attempts demon like growls but instead he sounds like he is trying to clear phlegm from his throat. It was unnecessary and I’m not sure how the band thought this added anything to this song. 

The band has some minor success with other songs such as "Safety Is My Goal (But Let's Be Realistic)" and “Alone Amongst Friends.” Projections is off to a fairly good start. If they hope to gain an audience then they will want to improve the recording quality and keep plugging away on what makes them unique.

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