standby for transmission - the disconnect

Standby for Transmission

The Disconnect
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Stan Hulsey has been involved with music for a while. For the past 17 years he has played in various bands (including CHETT), performed in hundreds of shows and even has had his music used for television. As a drummer he decided he wanted to explore new territory so he started a solo project entitled Standby for Transmission. He recently wrapped up his first effort The Disconnect, which is a diverse album of indie rock songs that he recorded and mixed himself. There’s a mixed bag of songs on this album. They are well written but often suffer from production issues (nothing major – his vocals seemed to lay on top of the mix at points, the guitars were sometimes lacking some mid-range and the low end was a bit muddy). 

Hulsey often rocks out but some of the best moments on the album are the ones that are the most subdued.  Take for instance the title track “The Disconnect,” which sounds a bit similar to Local Natives in the way that he combines reverb-laced clear guitar and vocal harmonies to form an attractive lush landscape. 

Another solid number is “Get Out,” which successfully combines electronic and organic instruments. The song starts off sounding like something you might hear from The Postal Service and eventually mutates into a rock song. Hulsey delivers some of his best vocal melodies on “Dance” when he sings “Promise me, that you won’t break my heart / Dance with me, I won’t waste your time.” Some of the songs such as “Rain” and “Crazy” that called for distorted guitars and were taking up lots of frequency space weren't working that well with lo-fi aesthetic. 

Besides some production issues on a couple of songs The Disconnect contains a surplus of tunes that are 
well-thought  out and worth your time to listen to. 

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