Yam Haus - Stargazer (2018)

OFFICIAL: http://www.yamhaus.com/

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Written by Mike Yoder, posted by blog admin

Yam Haus’ debut full length Stargazer possesses a remarkable completeness quite unlike anything you’ll hear in any style this year. Their embrace of electronic instruments, particularly synthesizer, naturally risks accusations of artificiality, but the Minneapolis based four piece successfully integrates keyboards and synthesizer with a guitar sound that takes a number of surprising twists and turns along the way. You can’t easily pigeonhole Yam Haus. They begin the album, however, with a string of five star pop rock tracks as polished as one can hope for. The opener and title song “Stargazer” introduces us to the band’s grandiose pop structures but, despite the obvious sweep inherent to the material, you never get a sense of the band lapsing into overwrought histrionics.

As stylish as the first song is, “West Coast” is even more so. They cop to an obvious Eighties influence during songs like this, but they mix it up with a thoroughly modern guitar presentation nicely ornamenting the electronic aspects of their style. The personal qualities of the songs, reflected through the lyrics, aren’t diluted in any way by the presentation. “Kingdom”, the final song of the album’s initial run of pop rock gems, has the same chorus strength we hear with the aforementioned two songs and yet another variation on their ability for pairing guitar with keyboards makes this is a winning number. They strike up an improbable gospel influence with the song “Too Many People” and lead singer Lars Pruitt’s voice plays off quite well against the song’s piano. The chorus immediately connects with listeners and the backing vocals bring an added sweetness to the song, but it’s the discreet guitar fills along the way bringing crucial colors into the song’s sound.

“Bad News” has a moody tenor despite its strong percussive pulse and electronic instrumentation. There’s some lightly played funk flavored guitar running throughout the song that never announces itself in the mix and Pruitt delivers one of the album’s most soulful performances. The bridge is especially notable thanks to how well it incorporates vocals with the song’s pop texture. Piano once again makes its presence felt with notable effect. “We Are the Storm” has a palpable rock edginess missing from the aforementioned songs and the tense guitar work during the verses memorably explodes with the chorus. Post-production effects lend a near claustrophobic quality to Pruitt’s singing that’s particularly entertaining.

Vocal presentation is important for the song “This Won’t Be the Last Time”, but the song lives and dies on the back of Lars Pruitt’s lead vocal. He has an effortless command of pop music formulas without ever sounding too clichéd and much of that comes from his obvious emotional connection to the material. “Groovin’ (That Feel Good Song)” certainly lives up to its billing as one of the more relentlessly positive, upbeat recordings included on Stargazer and other bands might have ended the release on this note, but Yam Haus clearly has higher intentions. Those are manifested with the album’s acoustic curtain “Something Better”, but Yam Haus artfully adorns the closing with a number of tasteful instrumental flourishes never subtracting from the essentially intimate nature of the performance. It’s a wholly satisfying conclusion for this great album.

Sky Orchid - Oculus (2017)

OFFICIAL: https://skyorchid.net/

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Written by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin

Hailing from the small town Midwestern town of Manhattan, Kansas Sky Orchid takes a page from Deadboy and the Elephant Men, The White Stripes and early Big Business in terms of keeping their membership succinct.  They’re a two-piece fronted by mainly vocals/guitar and drums (keyboards/piano/percussion for the auxiliary sounds heard on this record).  Sky Orchid one-ups the competition, going a step farther and being a pair of blood-born brothers.  There’s a definite degree of musical telepathy involved whenever you get musicians from the same family bond in a singular project together and it’s all over the group’s debut album, Oculus. 

Oculus packs a lot of variety into its musically ambitious core.  Fragments of rock, indie, industrial, electronica, post-rock and gothic music all emanate from its sonically glowing mass.  Not only does the tight playing shine, the overall production is pristine and powerful giving even the softest songs a bottomless depth and immeasurable weight that crashes over the listener with force and subtle flicker erupting oftentimes within the course of one song.  “The River” proves this thesis true immediately; relying on brooding piano lines and a witch’s brew of bubbling drums that explode into spires of heavier guitar riffage later on.  Gabriel (vocals/guitar) has a solar croon aimed for the sky, giving this material both malice and menace throughout even when his lyrics reflect on the positive side of life and love. 

“Sneakers” meditates on trance-y, Euro-style electronica in its early half (though bare bones and atmospheric as opposed to house music’s bounciness) and turns into a full-fledged, mid-tempo electro-riff rocker during its latter moments.  Though “In the Fire (Part 1)” is an indie glimmer charmer for the largest part of its duration, the song is unafraid of some climactic, power-chord scaling when it crescendos and fiery-titled counterpart “Wildfire” trots along on a bluesy acoustic guitar melody before again unleashing some riff-centric finish work.  Elsewhere, “I’ll Stop The World (Part 2)” hurries the pace and goes for a 90s sort of riff-scorch ballast that meets in middle-ground with the keyboard enhanced goodness of recent acts like The Killers or Canada’s Econoline Crush circa The Devil You Know.  “Lex” is a crunching, drum-beaten psychedelic work that launches into the 1-2 bass-y grooves of “Breathe Easy (the duo’s oldest composition at 7 years’ aged)” and the downright positive “Take It All’s” cleanly woven guitar melodies.  “Yesterday” and album round-up number “Fortify” plunge more space-y and thoughtful textures in their droning, trippy electronica washed rock guises. 

Oculus is a powerful work from a young band that’s grown far beyond their humble garage beginnings.  With touring runs taking them all through Kansas, to Houston and Nashville (mainly for recording purposes), they’ve grown this project into something that the world needs to hear.  The brothers’ inventive take on songwriting and locked-on musical dynamics have rendered them a debut that’s all killer and no-filler.  Even the atmosphere-oriented compositions are of a highly quality and never devolve into boredom or tedium.  Oculus should please a wide berth of music fans of all styles and genre interests.

Rhett Repko - Thnx For The Ride (2018)

OFFICIAL: http://www.rhettrepko.com/

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Written by Wendy Owens, posted by blog admin

Rhett Repko’s new seven song EP Thnx For The Ride capped an active 2017 for this impressive musician, writer, and performer. His previous EP release About Last Night occupies a much clearer singer/songwriter niche than the new release, but he sustains the same level of excellence that’s defined his work from the outset with this new release while taking his music in a distinctly different than before. Thnx For The Ride is an outright rock and roll album – there’s some acoustic guitar present with the release, but there’s no question that electric guitar dominates these songs and Repko proves to be credible in that mold. He has an outstanding band accompanying him on this seven track journey. Lead guitarist Stefan Heuer, bassist Dan Gallagher, and drummer Tom Bryant is a crack musical unit who are never flashy without cause and give Repko’s songwriting the added spark it deserves.

The EP opener and title song “Thnx for the Ride” announces the collection’s intentions. Repko clearly wanted a gripping, immediate sound and this tune doesn’t disappoint as “Thx for the Ride” features shake you by the lapels rock thunder along with some deft shifts in time signature and tempo the band flawlessly pull off. “Please Don’t Laugh” is a little closer to straight forward rock than the opener, but there’s the same high degree of musicianship pushing things forward that distinguishes the title number. Repko’s vocal here stands out as one of the best on the EP and he mixes emotive phrasing with high energy in a way ideally suited for these songs.

A songwriting high point arrives with the track “It Ain’t Coming From You”, and Repko fans the caustic flame of heartache burning inside this song with an impassioned singing performance. Guitarist Stefan Heuer contributes some important harmony vocals throughout Thnx For The Ride, never vying with Repko for supremacy in the mix, but rather strengthening his already fine delivery. The song is musically compelling, as well, particularly during its surprising second half. “And I Told Her So” is probably Stefan Heuer’s finest moment as a guitar player on this EP and his lead work late in the song immeasurably adds to its final impact. The lyrics are exceptional, once again, without ever overreaching and Repko’s vocal ranks with the earlier “Please Don’t Laugh” as one of his best moments on Thnx For The Ride.

The brisk pacing of “Learn Your Name” allows for a number of stuttering tempo changes, yet the song never goes astray and has genuine commercial appeal to go along with its unimpeachable rock spirit. The finale “Make Me Right” is a fiery curtain for the EP and serves as a musical exclamation point for everything that’s preceded it. Rhett Repko’s written and recorded quite an explosive little rock release with Thnx For The Ride and it’s intriguing to wonder where his Muse might lead him from here.

Rejectionist Front - Evolve (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://rejectionistfront.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/RejectionistFront/

Written by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin

Fronted by politically engaged and diverse vocalist/songwriter Michael Perlman, Rejectionist Front stands as one of the more powerful rock bands with a social consciousness working in popular music today. Their second studio album Evolve expands upon the possibilities listeners encountered with their breathtaking debut thanks to musicianship and songwriting that’s worked mightily to incorporate more colors into its artistic spectrum. Many of their abiding musical strengths are in more evidence than ever with this twelve song collection – guitarist Lincoln Prout proves he’s one of the underrated six string talents hovering near prominence today and deserves to be mentioned among the most talented of his peers while the rhythm section of Tony Tino and Dave Dawson provide meaty yet fleet-footed support for the band’s performances. The sophomore jinx is a real phenomenon for bands and artists, but it’s one that Rejectionist Front dodges with room to spare.

“Rise”, Evolve’s first tune, is a song of utter confidence. Rejectionist Front doesn’t make a single misstep for their existing fans or newcomers alike and whips up a sound and design for the song well balanced between prime Queensryche or Dream Theater neo prog-metal/hard rock and a fluid, aggressive modern edge brimming over with attitude. “All I Am” moves away from the sleek strands of prog metal we heard in the opener into a more rough and tumble classic hard rock sound delivered with a biting modern sound. The opener has a strong presence of harmony and backing vocals, like many songs on Evolve, but the second track’s relative lack of that device proves the band effectively mixes things up. “Savior” is another of the album’s songs that are fiercely individual yet seem ideally tailored for modern hard rock radio thanks to its thunderous salvos and near epic sweep. Lincoln Prout’s penchant for bringing strong melodies to bear alongside his hard-charging riffing makes for a potent mix here as elsewhere.

Much of Evolve is both barrels blazing, but “All Is The Same” stands as an example of Rejectionist Front tempering their attack for a more thoughtful performance. There’s always a storm of passion brewing just beneath the surface of everything the band writes and it explodes once again on the song “Reclaim”. The aforementioned fierce individuality distinguishing this song is reminiscent of the first song, as are its mild anthemic elements, and one of the album’s single releases, “Flush”, hits a home run along similar lines. The album’s finale “Inside of Me” is another more aurally considered moment for Rejectionist Front and brings all of Perlman’s surveying of the modern landscape back to a personal grounding that makes this a more powerful experience. Evolve is a more than impressive follow up to the band’s debut; it advances Rejectionist Front’s march into the future with a single breathtaking leap forward.

Shofar - s/t (2017)

BANDCAMP: https://shofar.bandcamp.com/releases

BROADJAM: http://www.broadjam.com/shofar

Written by Daniel Boyer, posted by blog admin

Shofar’s return to the musical arena with a six song self-titled EP will likely stand, by year’s end, as one of more successful releases in the band’s admittedly slim discography. It marks their first studio work since 2005’s Turn, but the time away hasn’t dulled their musical acumen in any appreciable way and, indeed, it seems lead singer and songwriter Larry Hagner has further matured during his time away from the microphone. The band’s religious/spiritual based message hasn’t been secularized, per se, but rather subsumed into an accessible vehicle that presents it alongside recognizable sounds and avoids any hint of hectoring or sermonizing. This is far, however, from a glorified solo vehicle for Hagner – taken as a whole and on an individual basis alike, the songs on this self-titled EP are clearly the product of a cohesive unit with each member making important contributions to the overall whole.

There’s a nearly progressive, quasi-classical intro kicking off the EP opener “Running” before a wall of pulverizing guitars falls on the listener’s head. The chaos clears for Hagner’s vocals to enter the mix and the nicely melodic qualities of his voice contrast nicely with song’s recurring raucousness. The indie nature of the band’s recording doesn’t hold them back at all; everything has a high level of production polish and an obvious ear for instrumental balance. While the rock histrionics of the opening track afford Hagner a chance to flex his hard rock muscle, we get an opportunity to hear his more classic melodic strains on “Powerman”. There’s some backing vocals sweetening things here at key points and some steady, unspectacular, but wildly successful guitar work. “Shades of Grey” is, like the aforementioned tune, more modulated than the EP opener, but it has a strong alt-rock stride that gives it some added urgency over “Powerman” and there’s a wider vocal presence on this tune that helps the tune come off quite nicely.  

“Hands Down” is more about observing a specific character than any particular message and one of Hagner’s best writing jobs on this collection. It’s a hell of a rock track as well that percolates with real rock power and an appealing “sweep” carrying listeners along. “Countdown” and the finale “The Coming” are much more in keeping with the band’s earlier material, but there’s an intensely human quality to these songs that keeps them tethered to relatable qualities instead of sounding unduly preachy. Shofar’s self-titled EP is a great musical mix that’s equally capable of overwhelming listeners as it is beguiling them. This is a talented band that we need to help redeem challenging times in the world of rock and roll. They bring great music to the table along with first class lyrics that draw you in.