Review: Kowtow Popof - Exalted Headband

Kowtow Popof - Exalted Headband
2009, Wampus Multimedia

Kowtow Popof is a Washington, DC area singer-songwriter who'd developed a distinctive taste for instrumentals that mix organic and electronic instrumentation. This form of Organica has developed a bit over time, finding fruition in Kowtow Popof's latest CD, Exalted Headband. Inspired by cinematic composers such as Bernard Herrmann and John Barry as well as electronic pioneers Ryuichi Sakamoto and Bill Nelson, Kowtow Popof wrote Exalted Headband with a cinematic scope in mind, using recurring thematic elements to construct an integrated series of compositions that work as a stand alone modern Organica symphony.

Exalted Headband is extremely intricate and nuanced in both composition and performance, opening with the Acoustic/Electric hybrid of Swimming Downhill, which sounds a bid like Windham Hill updated for the digital age. Enigma Of The Spokes continues in this vein, but has a more European sound, mixing acoustic guitar with electronically-generated strings for lovely soaring passages you'll want to play again and again before branching into piano/synth duets that are as pretty but perhaps not quite as imaginative. Kairos '77 is an intriguing composition, struggling with its own identity crisis between a theme of hope or despair. This is a piece I'd love to hear broken down for live instruments, and I think there is a lot of beauty in the depths that electronic instrumentation can seek but not quite find. Kung Fu Sunset sounds like what might have happened if Vince Guaraldi had fallen in love with space-age Electronica rather than Jazz.

Run To Daylight features one of three primary themes from Exalted Headband quite prominently. The Daylight Theme is nearly a stand-alone melody here, sounding like something out of 1970's Jazz-Pop set to a dance beat. Exalted Headband (Funkspiel Fringe) sounds like a theme to a 1970's detective show, right down to the Chicago-style horns. Theme From Lucky Guy sounds like the theme to a show you might find on ESPN in part A with a creepy transition or bridge. My favorite track on the CD is Balloon Bazooka; a surreal waltz that devolves into a computer-generated electronic composition that will invade your brain and stay there with a thematic element that intrigues. Rebreather is a fun listen, using a synth voice-generated melody as a foil to its thematic expression. Other highlights include Chronis, Children Of The Teeth and Floaters.

Kowtow Popof is an unusually placid voice in electronic music, searching for thematic order where chaos reigns supreme. His use of musical elements from across various cultures and schools of musical thought suggests significant classical/theory training, and opens doors for Popof that many musicians might not even know are there. Exalted Headband works on so many levels because of Kowtow Popof's willingness to try anything. Exalted Headband is hopefully a herald of things to come.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kowtow Popof at http://www.wampus.com/ or www.myspace.com/kowtowpopof. You can purchase a copy of Exalted Headband as either a CD or download at www.cdbaby.com/cd/kowtow6.

Review: Honor By August - Found

Honor By August - Found
2009, Honor By August

Based out of Washington, D.C., Honor By August has culled a reputation as one of the last bastions of mainstream Rock N Roll. In a day and age when most bands are looking to enhance their genre hyphenation by incorporating disparate sounds into songs, Honor By August offers a refreshingly classic pop/rock sound based on melody, harmony and great hooks. These efforts have already garnered Honor By August significant attention, winning the Billboard World Song Contest, gaining exposure on ESPN and sharing the stage with artists such as Bon Jovi, Hootie & The Blowfish, Edwin McCain, Peter Frampton and Third Eye Blind. Honor By August's sophomore album, Found hits the streets today. Honor By August might really be the next big thing.

There's a certain knack to songwriting in an ensemble; some groups never have it, some develop it over time, and some just click. Honor By August seems to have a magical connection wrapped up in their creative process that turns hooks into phrases, phrases into songs and songs into gold. Similar to bands like Matchbox 20, Semisonic, Hootie & The Blowfish and Third Eye Blind, there is a distinct pop sense that runs through everything they touch. Listen to the soaring choruses, bright melodies, gorgeous harmonies, intelligent and heartfelt lyrics, or any other quality you want to choose and there's a bit of magic there. Opening with the title track, Found is pure pop rock right from the start. Even amid the high quality songwriting and performances on Found there are distinct high points. Johnny (Pass Me Another) explores barstool camaraderie in an intelligent and emotional story song that is miles above the usual pop fodder. There You Were is the sort of love song that melts hearts. It's not a sappy ballad, but a mid-tempo Pop/Rock tune with a soaring chorus that is bound to be on most every mix tape made in 2009.

Say That It's Over is a catchy plea to put an end to war, complete with a chorus reminiscent of Toad The Wet Sprocket on steroids. Hometown Heroes takes the pop sensibility to a new level on a song that will be new to listeners but is instantly recognizable nonetheless. It details one of the dreams of any performer: coming home a star. Awake & Alive, the closer, is a poignant and quiet moment of reflection on origins and identity before Honor By August says goodnight. Other highlights include Half A Day Away, See This Through and Love Lies Awake.

Honor By August has a distinct polish to them that belies their Indy status. Found is the sort of album that makes major labels come calling. With the right exposure and a lucky break or two Honor By August could be one of the most popular bands of 2009. Found leaves me very excited for the future of Honor By August, and wanting to track down their first release. Don't pass this one by.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Honor By August at www.myspace.com/honorbyaugust or http://www.honorbyaugust.com/. You can purchase Found at www.cdbaby.com/cd/honorbyaugust2.

Review: Mikey Wax - Change Again

Mikey Wax – Change Again
2008, Last Great Song Publishing

Mikey Wax put out his first album at the age of thirteen, landing an instrumental composition on New York Radio Station 101.9, then a jazz/instrumental outlet. The Long Island native is classically trained in piano and self-taught on guitar. He spent his college years in Nashville soaking up the local music scene, but his true motivation came weeks after graduating from Vanderbuilt University. A letter written by his deceased grandfather nearly 20 years before was given to him. The wisdom and love in his grandfather’s words inspired the song With You Goes, and also inspired Mikey Wax to follow his dream to make music. Wax’ 2nd CD, Change Again, was released in 2008. It charted on the iTunes plus charts in the US, Canada, Australia and UK, reaching as high as #46 in the US. The album has also helped land Wax licensing deals with MTV, E! and ESPN.

Wax has an interesting vocal sound that is half way between John Mayer and The Plain White T’s’ Tom Higgenson. The songs on Change Again are primarily of the non-threatening, artfully written pop variety with a tendency toward big, soaring choruses. The album kicks off with Slow Motion; something of a generic yet aurally pleasing pop tune with the requisite big chorus. Songs like With You Goes, Hourglass (Love Will Find A Way and Love Light (Triad) also fit this generic yet sonically soaring style. I don’t want to call it bubblegum because it’s most definitely not, but there’s some of that same fluffy, feel good quality to the music. It’s when you get to a song like Twisted Fate when you realize that you’re dealing with an artist with a little more than just an ear for a good hook. Twisted Fate is the story of a prophet who foresaw a great tragedy yet never told a soul, and the guilt and grief carried by that individual. It is an incredibly smart and poignant bit of writing; a bit deeper than your typical pop song (perhaps too much so for real impact at radio, but it’s a fine song). The other definitive highlight on Change Again is Last Great Song; an aptly titled tune as it is a special song and it was the last one on the disc that really held my attention.

Mikey Wax is an interesting study on Change Again. There are really two different types of material here; the classic, hook laden pop song with big chorus and harmonies, or the singer-songwriter material that is popped-up but still very strongly rooted in that other tradition. The pop material works strongly for Wax on the commercial side, creating a sound that is instantly accessible for outlets like radio, while allowing Wax to cater to his more thought-provoking side in the singer/songwriter material. Not everything works here, but when Wax is on he is definitely worth making time for. Change Again is a strong album with a few weak moments; A definite keeper.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Mikey Wax at http://www.mikeywax.com/ or www.myspace.com/mikeywax. You can purchase a copy of Change Again at www.cdbaby.com/cd/mikeywax, or you can download the album through iTunes.

Review: Max Morgan - Interrupting The Silence

Max Morgan - Interrupting The Silence
2009, Chime Entertainment

Max Morgan has already been heard all over American media outlets and his debut CD hasn't even been released yet. Placement on televisions shows such as Gray's Anatomy and Private Practice; on networks such as The NFL Network and ESPN; and on websites such as Seventeenmagazine.com, AOL Music and NYPost.com have made Morgan omnipresent of late. No one doubts Morgan has a good publicist, but a publicist just pries the door open. Morgan has garnered so much attention and press because he is an uncommonly talented and charismatic singer/songwriter/musician. The Liverpool, England native and Southern California resident brings a highly melodic and lyric vocal sound to a broad cross section of musical styles on his debut CD, Interrupting The Silence. Produced by Marc Tanner (Aerosmith, Madonna, The Calling), Interrupting The Silence is a bright comet currently circling the pop/rock scene; when it lands on March 31, 2009, the impact will be amazing.

Interrupting The Silence opens with the plaintive and melodic Loneliest Man In The World. As songs go this is up there in the Paul McCartney stratosphere of epic melodies. In another era this song would have been a multi-platinum single. Morgan has the sweet vocal essence of Chris Martin and the poise to deliver this song like an epitaph in waiting. Sold Out To The Scene brings a little 1980's pop/glam to the album in a crossover dance/rock package that is unforgettable before pulling on your heart strings with the gorgeously sad Wait For Me. Morgan follows up with the big time guitar rock anthem Suffer, which is a great deal more upbeat than the title may imply.

Morgan stomps and howls through hair rocker Ya Better Believe with all of the machismo and flamboyance that defined the more over-the-top front men of the 1980's. Having shown so many sides, Morgan settles next into the dramatic Nobody's Coming To My Rescue. Not since Freddie Mercury has any vocalist in Rock N Roll shown the breadth and stylistic vigor to tackle so many divergent styles and sounds and do them all successfully. Max Morgan has that kind of talent and appeal, and don't be surprised if this guy reaches the pinnacle of the rock world at some point in his career. Other highlights include Trouble, Don't Stop, the urgent rocker Fell and Prayer For No One.

Max Morgan is a rare, rare talent. It's impossible to say how things will pan out in the long run, but Morgan could be one of those once-in-a-generation talents who will transcend stardom to the point of attaining icon status. The musical and vocal talent is here, as is the charisma to reach out across the various voids that exist between artist and listener. Interrupting The Silence is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc, and is the sort of debut that can be very difficult to top. But something tells me Morgan can and will.

You can learn more about Max Morgan at http://www.maxmorgan.com/ or www.myspace.com/maxmorganband. Interrupting The Silence will be released on March 31, 2009. You can pre-order copies of the CD through Amazon.com.