At the helm of the alternative rock band Watershed Council is Jason Vogel. This is not Vogel's first rodeo when it comes to albums. He has been a bassist in several bands, but now he is looking to take on a drastically different tole with songwriting and singing. Luckily he has a slew of talented friends to help him along the way. There are LOTS of cameos on his latest album Madison Rouge, which means there is a lot of good variation and diversity among the eight tracks on the album.
The songs definitely lean on the harder alternative rock side. The band hails from Michigan and myself being in Chicago and road-tripping through Michigan countless times, the aesthetic fits. Michigan has always held the best of natural and urban beauty. The same thing happens in this music. You'll get modern, sharp edged colliding with the wildness of the riffs. I feel like "Hedge A Bet" is a great example of this collision and quickly became one of my favorite tracks. There's not a whole lot of fuss and muss in the music. It's pretty straightforward. It can often get dangerous and wicked and then pull back up onto the main roads we all know and love. Then sometimes they'll just blow your mind with a jazzy number complete with trumpet. There are lot of twists in the music that really made appreciate the group's craftsmanship and willingness to play and experiment. As I said, there were a lot of hands on deck for this album and that means a lot of different moods at play. Vogel being the vocalist worked overtime to satisfy the needs of each song. I do feel there were times where his performance style reached a little too far into the dramatic. On its own, his voice is distinctive and there were times where he would dig in deep with inflections and then it came off a little cornball. Vogel did produce some solid lyrics. He is definitely at his finest when is a little moody and brooding which is something I can personally get behind. When it comes to the overall production of the album, I think it's a damn fine job. This was a studio recorded project and it shows. One of the sturdy pillars this album rests on is solid acoustics. The mixing is also spot on and really lets all those extra hands Vogel has have their moment. The reverb also plays a subtle role here and I think it was managed perfectly. I don't think I would be as fond of this if it were too crisp and clean. It needs its rough edges and I think it's important to commend the production hands for recognizing that to be true. Madison Rouge is sturdy. It holds its own with very little guile or trickery. I will say the album has tempted me to take another road trip and see this act live should an opportunity ever arise.
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