Optic Yellow Felt - Optic Yellow Felt

Optic Yellow Felt – Optic Yellow Felt
2011, Catapult

You have to say one thing for Optic Yellow Felt, they are certainly original.  From the name, to their sound, there isn’t a great deal about Optic Yellow Felt that you can pin down to someone else.  Except for their vocalist, that is.  Fans of the Rheostatics and Martin Tielli will be very curious to hear lead vocalist Victor Nader, whose vocal sound is eerily similar to those of Tielli.  Optic Yellow Felt took over a year to record their self-titled debut album, working closely with producer/sound engineer Roy Cicala (Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan) to bring the band’s original sound and style out in the recording.

Formed by brothers Victor (vox, guitar) and Lino Nader (bass, backing vox) while living in the United States, Optic Yellow Felt has grown to six members.  Nando Morsani (piano, vox); Ricardo Pires (sax, vox); Eduardo Marson (guitar, vox) and Tiago B. (drums, vox) round out the lineup.  The songwriting style is rough at times, but there is a certain charm in Optic Yellow Felt’s music that is hard to ignore.  Victor Nader writes in stumbling style, almost as if he is falling into his thoughts than thinking them.  This comes to light on the opening track, “Captain Of The Seas”, a perseverating love song that goes in logical circles.  This leads into the ambient singer/songwriter air of “Close To Sadness”.  While Nader has a similar sound to Martin Tielli, he doesn’t appear to have the breath support that leads to good pitch and tonal control. 

The album becomes a study in intriguing and sometimes chaotic arrangements, and a well-meaning but ill-trained vocalist with an enigmatic sound but poor fundamentals.  Optic Yellow Felt likes to experiment with multi-part song structure, but on more than one occasion kills off a song before it even gets going with extended introductions.  Like most bands with potential Optic Yellow Felt manages to pull off one track late in the game that really reflects what they are capable of.  “Talkin’ N Talkin’” is a solid love song with some real potential.  It’s easily the best composition on the album, and gives you a hint as to where Optic Yellow Felt might go in the future.    

Much of the rest of Optic Yellow Felt is the audio document of a band trying to figure out who they are and what their sound is.  The songwriting is uneven and rough (but not without its little golden moments).  Optic Yellow Felt is sort of a hipster act; messy and still figuring itself out, but purveying an original sound that has yet to have the rough edges worn smooth.  Don’t be surprised if Optic Yellow Felt becomes something of a phenomenon down the line.  For now, there is still work to be done.

Rating:  3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at web.oyf.com.br. 

Alex Hirsch - Naturally...

Alex Hirsch - Naturally...
1997/2006/2010, Key Wins Productions

 You might say that Alex Hirsch was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but all of the silver in the world can’t make up for talent.  Hirsch has proven his talent over the years, collaborating with folks such as Elliot Randall, Ice-T, Bionik, Too Short and Griffen.  Alex Hirsch is the son of actor Judd Hirsch (Taxi, Dear John, NUMB3RS) and has certainly benefited accordingly, but Alex’s approach to music has always had a DIY slant.  A few years back Hirsch borrowed money from family members and started his own record label, Key Wins Productions, focusing on releasing albums made with real instruments by real people.  Hirsch’s latest album, Naturally…, is steeped in highly original songwriting that blends progressive and classic rock styles with doses of 1960’s psychedelia and jazz. 

Naturally… opens with “Martian Advance”, featuring churning guitars and an exotic progressive rock sound ala The Rheostatics.  Lyrically the song is more of a riff than a complete idea, but the grand crests and theatric turns play like a film score element.  “Naturally” is ethereal rock with a lot of open space in the arrangement all done up in reverb.  It’s a love song full of sadness and memory; Hirsch’s lyrics are intelligent if a bit off the map for your typical love song.  You might be forgiven for thinking this is geek rock with a refined touch, as Hirsch mixes a distinctive breed of intelligentsia with a charismatically finessed low-fi sound.  Hirsch takes on pure jazz form with “Structure”, offering wicked guitar and bass solos and filling in on piano is subtle but tangible fashion.  Rush fans may be reminded of the sort of structure and style displayed on their Gangster of the Boats Trilogy.

“I Speak The Truth” is an odd bit of atypical blues featuring simply Hirsch and his guitar.  Sparsely arranged and intriguing, the song is like eavesdropping on someone’s internal dialogue.  “Nova” is a dreamy ode detailing the moment of falling in love in graphic detail, reveling in the wake of the emotional explosion.  “Christine” revisits a chance meeting at the wrong time, where possibility and romance churn against limited time and circumstance in a mix of hope and frustration.  The chorus on this song is hauntingly familiar.  “One Confession” is an angry emotional jam with minimal lyrics.  Dark and vibrant, the song is full of anger and seeks an answer in no uncertain terms.  “5755” is dreamy 1960’s folk/pop ala Crosby, Stills and Nash written with a 1970’s singer/songwriter pastiche.  Well constructed, this tune is simply a pleasure to listen to. 

“Jail” is a jazzified rock composition with theatrical elements.  There’s a diffuse sense of humor running through this song that’s mildly entertaining as well.  “Girlfriend” is full of reverence; intelligent and off-beat.  Hirsch moons in a stream-of-conscious vamp in a blend of spacey rock, jazz and singer-songwriter styling.  The solo version of “Christine” sounds to be recorded live in the studio and is a bit more affecting than the standard version.  Hirsch manages to capture a live energy in this recording that casts the song in a better light.  “The Day” is a diffuse, open arrangement; a memorialization in song dotted with Branford Marsalis-style saxophone fills and runs.  “Time And Space” plays like two songs.  The first half is a long instrumental jam.  Once the vocals kick in Hirsch creates vocal triads that sound a great deal like early 1980’s Asia.  “Time And Space” has a finding-our-way feel to it that’s communicated in both the lyrics and arrangement, in what may be the most dynamic and original songwriting in a highly original collection of songs.  Natually… closes with “Lennon”, a tribute to the ex-Beatle that’s both musically and emotionally committed.  It’s a well-written and well-executed closer.

Alex Hirsch hits all of the right notes on Naturally…, following his muse wherever it leads.  Influences run through the album in veins, playing off of Hirsch’s natural musical proclivities and creating dynamic musical moments, helped along by highly intelligent lyrics and an intense creativity that seemingly never rests.  Naturally… is an exciting listen; you never know what’s around the next musical turn, or what else Hirsch might have up his sleeve.  Naturally… is an album that will keep you coming back.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Alex Hirsch at www.alexhirsch.com or www.myspace.com/alexhirschmusic.  Naturally... is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available digitally from iTunes.

The Gay Blades - Savages

The Gay Blades – Savages
2010, Triple Crown Records

Lead singer/guitarist James Dean Wells, AKA Clark Westerfield, and drummer Quinn English, AKA Puppy Mills are The Gay Blades.  They might just be two men, but the sound they create is huge.  The Gay Blades continue to surprise and excite fans with a sound that’s rich and dynamic.  On their latest album, Savages, The Gay Blades show themselves as a band maturing from the adolescent glee and irreverence of Ghosts without giving up an ounce of the sound that makes pop radio programmers dance with glee yet satisfies a wide range of music fans.

Savages opens with “Rock N Roll (Part I)”, a catchy and variable rocker with lots of little musical alleys to explore.  Imagine if The Tragically Hip and The Rheostatics did a Glam jam together and you’ll get an idea of the sound here.  “Try To Understand” is an upbeat rocker with a dynamic sound ala 1960’s Tom Jones.  Westerfield has a dynamic and intriguing voice, but he’s particularly hard to understand here as his enunciation is fluid and indistinct.  “Mick Jagger” is a catchy Rolling Stones clone that’s highly tuneful, although Westerfield continues to be hard to decipher. 

“November Fight Song” is among the best songwriting on the album, a song of existential angst about fighting to remain relevant or perhaps even to exist.  The Gay Blades go completely over the top here and succeed smashingly with a song that could rule the radio into the winter.  “Burns And Shakes is catchy and lively, messy and fun; the sort of song that’s right at home in a live set on a Saturday night at your local venue/watering hole.  Melodrama is the word of the day on “Wasted On The Youth”, a stripped- and slowed-down tune full of angst and a detached sort of regret.  “Every Night Is Like A Revival” is the true gem of the set.  Westerfield wears a Freddie Mercury vibe in a large swaying rocker with a great melody.  Savages closes with “This Is How Our Conversation Ends”, a throwaway snippet couched in silence. 

The Gay Blades have their ups and downs on Savages; the material that works well works extremely well, but there are some less than exciting moments on the album as well.  On the whole it’s a solid set from a pair of young bucks who growing into and finding their adult sound.  Savages is likely to appeal to The Gay Blades’ core fans and make them some new ones in the process, and listening to the album is likely to leave you thinking that there’s a lot of great material to come from The Gay Blades.  For now, Savages is a successful transitional album for The Gay Blades.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Gay Blades at www.thegayblades.com or www.myspace.com/thegayblades.  Savages is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available digitally from iTunes.

Review: Kevin Hearn And Thin Buckle - Havana Winter

Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle - Havana Winter
2009, Celery Music

Kevin Hearn would make music if the only instruments available to him were a pair of rocks to bang together. The projects and bands he's either been a member of or contributed to over the years is a bit astonishing. Hearn has played a part in recordings and/or tours for Corky & The Juice Pigs, The Look People, The Rheostatics, Lou Reed, The Tragically Hip, Garth Hudson, Ron Sexsmith, Broken Social Scene and Laurie Anderson, to name but a few. And we should probably mention his regular gig as multi-instrumentalist (primarily keyboard) for Barenaked Ladies. Hearn's quirky songwriting style and distinctive ability to capture bits of pop magic in song has served him well and endeared him to listeners all over the world. Havana Winter, released July 28, 2009, is Hearn's 4th solo album, and third with Thin Buckle (comprised of former Look People alums Chris Gartner - bass and Great Bob Scott - drums; guitarist Brian Macmillan and joined on Havana Winter by Lou Reed guitarist Mike Rathke.) Co-produced by Hearn and legendary Canadian producer Michael Philip Wojewoda, (Barenaked Ladies, Spirit Of The West, The Rheostatics, Great Big Sea, Ashley MacIsaac) Havana Winter furthers Hearn's distinctive songwriting style, dubbed "Planetarium Pop", that combines ambient keyboard elements with more traditional mellow pop songwriting for a musical experience that you don't so much listen to as become part of.

Havana Winter opens with Coma, driven by a distinctive keyboard riff that will keep the song running through your head long after it's stopped playing. Hearn exhorts people everywhere to wake up to the world around them rather than be hypnotized by gadgets, suburbs and the mundane aspects of day-to-day life. The song is a great listen with a wonderfully jarring guitar solo on the fade out. On The Runway is one of those songs that where I don't entirely get the lyrical content but I'm so enraptured with the music it doesn't matter. The lyrics might just be a dreamy rumination on plans, but the lush backdrop Hearn and Thin Buckle have created here is divine. Driven by a lively guitar and bass skeleton, Hearn wraps his keyboard around the song like a vibrant coat of musical colors. On The Runway is one of those songs that the replay button was made for.

Reeling reflects the grief of losing a loved one in poetic and beautiful language. The arrangement Hearn wraps around his memorial is lush and alive, carrying with it the co-mingled energies of memory and love. On first listen I didn't really get this one, but with a more careful ear it's an incredibly powerful and moving song, delivered as always with Hearn's light touch. Luna continues in a similar vein, speaking directly to the one who is gone and includes one of the best lyrical turns of the year, "If you were lost at sea, what kind of a lighthouse would I be?"). In these two songs Hearn displays an incredible ability to take pain and put it into words without beating the listener over the head with his suffering. In poetic and quirky fashion, Hearn communicates the depth of his grief and the depth of his love without getting mired in the sort of negativity that can drag down a song or even an album.

Hearn turns up the metronome on Huntsville.CA, a driven acoustic Brit-Rock tune that will make you want to dance. It's an amusing and lively look at how small, out-of-the way towns most of year can become bustling centers of activity in the summer months. Anyone who's a townie living in the shadow of a seasonal tourist attraction will appreciate the sentiment, and musically it's flat out a great tune (listen in particular for the guitar work throughout the song). In The Shade is a quirky mellow pop-tune with an island influence that equates love with sun exposure, "they'll burn you up in the end". Lush vocals/harmonies and a melodic structure born from another generation of pop music make for a pleasant surprise and a great listen. Havana Winter closes with H.I.T.S. (Helicopter In The Sand). The arrangement here is classic Kevin Hearn, mellow with a lot more harmonic work in the wings that you find in your typical Rock song. Hearn seems to explore the need to chase dreams, and how sometimes even failing to get where you planned gets you where you need to be. The song is highly poetic, deep and subtle, both lyrically and musically.

There's a reason everyone and his brother in the Canadian music scene ends up working with Kevin Hearn; there are few better at their craft. As a songwriter Hearn has developed significantly over the past two decades. He's always going to be a bit out of the mainstream (although he can do mainstream if he wants to), but you'll never walk away from a Hearn album musically dissatisfied. Havana Winter is Hearn's finest work yet; the sort of album you don't want to put down. Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle should be on your must-listen list. Bet on them making a bunch of year-end lists. For now, Havana Winter is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kevin Hearn at http://www.kevinhearn.com/ or http://www.bnlmusic.com/. Havana Winter will hit shelves on July 28, 2009. You can pre-order copies via Amazon.com. Once the album is released you can also pick up copies at Hearn’s webstore. Expect wide digital availability after the release date.