Ovlov "Buds" (2021)

Accepting an algorithmically generation suggestion from Spotify, I was pleasantly surprised. American Indie Rock outfit Ovlov's third album is a brief one, only clocking in at twenty four minutes. Its eight cuts all inhabit a shared culture. Humble tones, a rural breeze, simplicity and humility scales into roars of lively dissonance. The group compose human, Folk like songs, driven by warm acoustic shimmering and earnest voices. It all gets whisked into dense frenzies. With a sense of routine, over-driven guitars explode, expanding dynamics and shelling the warmth with swells of fuzz and grit. The frothy distortions challenge the listener with harsh, muddy textures that somehow ooze into the gentle foundations with a thick hazy glow.

Its got charm, a sound that sucks one in! On closer examination, its clearly simplicity in writing that is the winning approach. Much of the esoteric and unusual chemistry is derived from the jagged shoe-gazing textures. They cast a magical spell but underneath, the simplistic short riffs and chord plucking loops are what the songs hinge on with just a few simple constructs at there core. The human, raw, personal feelings emanate from superb vocal harmonizations, conveying emotion with a blunt tunefulness that is never overstated or over engineered. Just the tones alone.

One pointed component that mostly lands are the scratchy, harsh guitar solos. Brief and to the point they rattle off like a flair, grabbing your attention and swiftly fizzling out. With an ear for the noisy and unusual, speedy wild fretboard manipulations rattle off at apt times. Its the lens of texture that they push the limits, peaking the audio and inviting the harshest of sounds. Sometimes they inhabit melody and offer times its an exploration of noise. I mostly enjoyed it but the dissonance wasn't always potent.

Not one considering myself to be "into" Indie Rock, this has certainly challenged my notions. The parts of that genre most recognizable are enjoyable alongside its explorations of Shoegazing and Noise Rock. I'd certainly enjoy more on this track. Not entirely original of groundbreaking, its the execution and earnest, humbling inspiration that makes this music glow. An interesting find! I may explore further.

Rating: 7/10

Devin Townsend "Ghost" (2011)

Is it possible to completely forget a record? Of course, butt one you have great adoration for... Well that was me a while back as the lengthy, wandering Texada song comes on shuffle and an eerie feeling washes over. Prompted to give Ghost a proper spin again, it occurred to me its been a criminal amount of time since it last cross my mind. How many years had it been? I felt as if I was looking in a mirror and slowly recognizing my own reflection. The experience was a revelation of locked away memories, the key turn clicking as each track brings a flood of familiarity and feelings. This album was once my therapy, a force of calm to visit in times of need and yet somehow it had drifted away from me, despite all of its beauty and charm.

To me, Ghost feels like a further exploration of the magic Ki offered two years back. Stripping out the metallic grooves and sailing into the lofty indulgence of his deeply reverberated guitar tones, the inclusion of soft airy synths, dreamy electronic ambiences and the dynamic woodwinds of Kat Epple, illuminates a wholesome spirit most these songs embody. The opening is strong, Devin unloads his passionate pleas, gushing emotion forth in the wake of serine atmospheres and rapturous melodies plucked from his bright acoustic guitar. Its fine song writing, wandering in and out of soothing ambiences with himself and Katrina Natale swelling in the rises of voice and melody that form structures within the flowing river of sound.

The web of instrumentation is stunning, dense yet inviting, one can get lost of the layers of soft sound that breeze by. Dave Young's key work with the synths add an endless sparkle of cosmic curiosity with the psychedelic electronic tones he interweaves. The percussion from Mike St-Jean is timely and measured, complimenting the wondrous direction the music steers in. Retreating in its lulls and subtly rising in the surges of song writing, its a performance that understands exactly what the record needs, a textural performance of craft and softness.

Sadly, I feel as if the record falters in its length. At seventy minutes its initial pattern meandering between swooning atmospheres and bursts of life gets weight down at the mid point. Its with monsoon that the tone pivots to the exploratory. With a brief pull back to the spirited rise of traditional song on Texada, and again with a bit of a miss on Seams, the latter half falls victim to its calm as much of the genius in the first half leaves its lengthy final cuts with less to offer, hiding in the shadow of greatness.

Healing is the word I'm left with to describe this record mood. Its a therapeutic experience and a curious one to rediscover again. Its as if it never left but now with the tentative ears of an enthused listener, keen to analyze my own experience, I realize that genius is rare and can be exhausted. I have immense adoration for Devin and his unique sense of inspired identity that comes with his music but he is human after all. It feels like this record was left to fizzle out after hitting the mark aptly with its string of opening songs. Either way I am glad to of found this treasure again.

Rating: 8/10

Alice In Chains "Jar Of Flies" (1994)

It seems that between albums Alice In Chains liked to release acoustic EPs, the former being Sap. I had actually gone into this thinking it was a direction change full length, with a mind for curation. Much like the current trend of short, high curated projects, Jar Of Flies has seven songs, a couple with distortion at just thirty minutes. Its all killer no filler and the emotionally wrenching magic it possess leaves one feeling like this should be seen as no side offering but some of the bands best music.

Once again the band let their Americana and Blues Rock influences flourish, mustering humid flows of steady paced and gorgeous, glistening acoustic toned instrumentals for Staley to take stage. He does as he does, pulling on your heart strings with a lonely despair and sorrow, bleeding his quiet suffering from a camouflaged voice. His delivery roars with a vulnerable power that lures you in with its catchy flow yet all that awaits is pain and darkness. The "My privacy is raped" line on Nutshell is particularly haunting. Its a line stuck in my mind for weeks.

Its the beautiful dichotomy of stunning, serine music and searing raw pain weaving this dazzling darkness again. The musicianship is sublime, tones of lucid arrangements oozing with inspiration as ripe guitar leads flow and complimentary instrumentation like the timely use of strings seem to arrive on time effortlessly in these songs. Its not without weak points however, from one to the other their is diversity in flavor and its last two tracks drop off from the path set beforehand.

Swing On This feels like a leftover idea from Dirt hashed together with some swashbuckling acoustics. Before it the soft and delicate Don't Follow with its Country tang guitars and harmonica doesn't quite resonate in the beginning with Cantrell's voice. The first five however are emphatic, Rotten Apple making a mark as their longest track to date. The whole project feels so deserving of a full length, the group nail this style almost as well as their grooving distortion songs.

Favorite Tracks: Rotten Apple, Nutshell, Whale & Wasp

Rating: 7/10

Alice In Chains "Sap" (1991)

Prior to their monumental sophomore record Dirt, Alice In Chains released this five track acoustic EP which I had previously glossed over. Reviving Sap to my playlist, It took me a few spins to get past the change in temperament. Then I found another charm this group possess, a side of them not felt from the acoustic compliment that creeps into their dominantly heavy music. In stripping back the distortion guitars, their Grunge and Groove Metal energy leaves a void filled by a range of influences. Folk, Blues Rock and Country all have leanings on these traditional, acoustic guitar led song styles, blossoming into a different and simply indulgent experience.

Its opening track Brother is almost unrecognizable. I believe it is Staley singing with a soft casual, breathy persona, a polar shift from his normally electric out-poor. Guest vocalist Ann Wilson of Heart harmonizes in a higher octave on the chorus for another unexpected spice. In getting familiar with it, a warm and tender song of sombre acceptance emerges and that emotional reverence flows onward. I believe Ann returns again on Am I Inside. Her small roll adds a keen flavor, much like the bright piano that creeps in under the haunting guitar. Aligned with shimmers of cymbals and brief bongo patters it speaks volumes to their musical ability and inspiration.

The bass guitar lays down some deep, warm rumblings to thicken out these sombre acoustic strokes. It gets a gritty pump of groove going on Got Me Wrong, the only track to deploy distortion guitars. In a strange way you can hear them being pulled back to the more expectant sound but the two styles just pull the slider back and forth, rather than gelling into something bigger. The last track is a joke track of skits, goofs and gaffs with comical musical arrangements. Its quite fun and a peek into a less serious side of the musicians, a nice something to throw in at the end.

Favorite Tracks: Brother, Am I Inside

Rating: 6/10

First Aid Kit "Tender Offerings" (2018)

This four track EP has me thinking I must of missed something from Ruins released earlier this year. Perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind? Stay Gold is such a beautiful record, one of my all time greats, maybe it set my sights to high for the follow up. Before writing this blog I was convinced Id learn at least one of these four songs are covers because they are so striking and have a classic vibe about them. Turns out they are all B-Sides from the aforementioned Ruins and bar one or two tracks from that record Id say these songs a better than most of what I remember of it.

Firstly, I've Wanted You takes a minimal approach with its soft acoustic patterns and a nearly non existent baseline. It pulls all focus to the beautiful serine singing that I believe is Klara of the Soderberg sisters. Her chorus lyrics are sung with such striking emotion and sincerity of word that I was convinced it was a cover. The yawning distant organ and gentle piano keys chime in to keep the spell rolling as the duo start to harmonize and elevate and conclude what is a bare, naked and exposed song, its direction plays so true to the words of the song and its raw emotion.

 The title track works a denser instrumental build up. Its stronger organ presence leads to country tang guitar licks that play up its rooted vibes. Ugly has a similar performance to I've Wanted You, however the instruments gradually grow and its soft guitars and buried organ give into colorful eruptions of almost psychedelic stretches as its guitars give into that fray and spacial synths sparkle like stars in a clustered climax. Its quite the natural yet experimental edge to a song I did not expect but thoroughly enjoyed. More of this could lead somewhere interesting.

All That We Get may fall victim to being the least interesting, its a nice song, calm, soothing and soulful with a charming message of warmth and introspection yet it lacks a defining moment and the vocals don't reach previous plateaus. These are four very welcome songs. I especially liked the slight, almost missable use of electronics and the opening song is an instant classic. I will continue to follow this wonderful act.

Favorite Tracks: I've Wanted You, Ugly

Rating: 5/10

Janis Joplin "Pearl" (1971)

It was quite a few years ago that I first heard of Janis and her legendary performance at Woodstock 69. I got my hands on Pearl with a whole bunch of other records from a top 500 list and have had it on my phone since, waiting for shuffle to catch me off guard and precisely that happened the other day with Half Moon, a feel good, upbeat, jiving song on the first side of the record. Reading up on Pearl I am saddened to learn it was released posthumously a few months after her death in 1970 where she suffered a heroin overdose. Interestingly the album was recorded in the failed four channel quadraphonic format which would eventually become surround sound. It also held the top album slot for nine weeks and sold over four million copies.

Whats impressive about Pearl is its energy and dynamism, from both Janis's charisma and the wonderfully involved, vibrant instrumentation behind her. The record rocks and sways between heartfelt emotions and feel good, rocking vibes. A powerful fusion of Funk, Soul, R&B and Blues Rock jives on with a colorful intensity as the accompanying Fult Tilt Boogie Band illuminate these songs with fleshed out and inspired music making a rich setting for Janis however they too take the lime light with bursts of powerful organs and guitar licks between the ever present liveliness of the deceased Richard Bell's pianos. Its dense in its involvement, yet audibly crisp and inviting, each instrument having its space in the mix to shine as they jive in tandem.

All of the band give a riveting performance, you can simply just zone in on one instrument and be moved but the biggest mover is Janis out in front of them who has such a fascinating and emotional voice. With such sincere passion and expression in her singing, the half hit notes and croaky, scratchy strain she frequently visits become engulfed in the moment, sounding natural, charming and despite technically being "flawed" its transformed by her charisma. She even goes has far to push her voice in to a surging shriek on occasion, which is too just an unleashing of urgent expression. Its truly riveting and endearing, her young death truly a tragedy.

Its practically a flawless record, thirty four minutes of emotional engagement with exception to one track which I can't help but feel modern corporatism has spoiled as I'm sure Ive heard it in a commercial of the same name, Mercedes Benz. Its a short, lower fidelity accapella where Janis sounds a little rusty on her own, singing sarcastic prayers for consumerist products. Its really quite a nice piece but feels tainted by its snug fit with advertising culture where everything becomes a commodity, even the song, which only makes sense retrospectively.

My time with this record has taught me what I'm learning over and over again, that a musicians personal expression can transcend any preconceived musical preference if given a chance. The sixties is a fascinating chapter in the history of humanity and certainly the beginning of the cultural freedom we experience today. I'd never been keen on the music but I'm glad that's changing. Janis's voice feels free of its time but the instrumentals are firmly rooted in the era and Its great to hear familiar 60s aesthetics expressing something I can relate with, however writing that makes me realized its perhaps the ever changing self that is now coming around to this wonderful era of music and cultural significance.

Rating: Cry Baby, My Baby, Half Moon, Get It While You Can

Rating: 9.5/10

First Aid Kit "Ruins" (2018)

Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna return for their fourth full length record, one I have highly anticipated as their previous release, Stay Gold, resonated with me deeply. Its such a joyous record that has provided me with much warmth in the few years since I discovered it, as much to say it would undoubtedly make a favorite albums of all time list. With the stakes set high and a familiar sound the duo show their influences boldly on a strong and unsurprisingly luscious album with a sense of era and character about it, the album cover reinforcing this concept with a striking chromatic gesture labled by its staple mark seventies font. You wouldn't blink an eyelid if you found this floating around in a box of old crinkled vinyl sleeves.

Ruins comes on strong with more Americana and Country influences the two wear on their sleeves. The slick country tang guitar accents in the opening songs set a strong southern undercurrent amidst a sweet and warm production full of rich instruments. Fleshing out the acoustic strumming, strings, country pianos, additional guitars and wholesome percussion enriches these simple heart felt folk songs. Often complimentary there is a couple of moments where it takes lead over their voices which, as we know, are soft, heavenly and the soul of the music.

Hem Of Her Dress embodies a flaw with this record. A rousing scream mid sentence feels out of place as the sentiment of the song falls misplaced. It slowly builds intensity to an eruption of group singing that lacks charm and a sense of purpose, perhaps in this moment their influences border imitation as the lyrics, in this song and others, feel recreational of the genre's known characteristics. That got me thinking about how little of the lyrics stuck in my mind. Stay Gold was like an introspective awakening, coming to embrace life's finite and ever changing experience, ever lyric offering a wealth of seniority. It felt from the heart where as Ruins references whisky, interstate highways and other topics steeped in a different familiarity.

I'm sad to say this one hasn't struck a chord with me, Its opening tracks start out strong and Fireworks has some surreal moonlight singing to tug at your heartstrings but as the record stretches on the spark fizzles out as the southern country feel outpaces the songwriting. Although a stunning sounding record, their beautiful voices only go so far to make these songs work. The lyrics don't resonate and so a very pretty sounding record dulls as it stretches on. Its unfortunate but that's just how I heard this one.

Favorite Track: Fireworks

Rating: 6/10

William Patrick Corgan "Ogilala" (2017)

In absence of a new Smashing Pumpkins record we have a solo project by Billy Corgan that is essentially the same musical source stripped of percussion and distortion guitars. Ogilala is a folksy acoustic rock record with a lush touch of dazzle and spark. The bustle of acoustic chord strumming and Corgan's passionate voice is enriched by piano keys, strings, organs and even light synths akin to the ones heard on old Pumpkins records. Gorgeous production acoustics give it a earnest, inviting tone but after four good songs at the opening the album lulls into a spell of mediocrity once its best ideas are exhausted.

My biggest qualm with this record is most noticeably absent in my favorite track, "Aeronaut", a toned down vibe alike to The Verve's classic Bitter Sweet Symphony. The track drops the acoustic guitars for a string, voice and piano triplet that feels more comfortable with out the busying strumming of distant chords. The acoustic guitar is film and limp, its chords underwhelming and quiet, the sound of the pick flexing on the strings cast a shadow on the musical make up and empowers a rhythm that's one dimensional and not required.

With that In mind the failings of the record become sorely obvious, the strings or organs lay soft backings to these chord arrangements and the inclusion of pianos often just accent particular notes in the chord. The music revolves around an instrument that's just not working and despite Corgan's sincere singing the songs fall into the flat and narrow of simple compositions. With a lack of depth in that department, repeated listens yield little reward. Its unfortunate but you could possibly chalk this down to a distortion guitarists approach to acoustic not coming off well as many of these songs feel a step away from being Pumpkins songs with blaring guitars! An honest effort but it didn't work for my ears.

Favorite Track: Aeronaut

Rating: 4/10

David Bowie "ChangesOneBowie" (1976)

On my musical journey Bowie had always been a destination Id planned on visiting but given his recent and unfortunate demise it prompted to pick up some of his records, something about the cover and name of this one made me feel like this is where I wanted to start. The months rolled by and with every passing listen familiarity crept in but no true understanding of his acclaimed genius became apparent. Its not often I listen to Glam and Folk Rock, it made me release the nuances of music your accustom to makes it much easier to digest and understand. In recent weeks though many of these songs have really got into my head and I find myself singing along, which is a great sign. One thing that became swiftly apparent was a lack of concept, direction or theme, the inclusion of a live performance a little odd but the records flow stylistically shifts from an arty tone to Glam Rock with slight Country tinges on some songs. It hit me like a slap in the face when I looked it up online, its a greatest hits or compilation released in the midst of his acclaimed peak, the seventies.

So now I'm familiar with this selection of his songs but I more often prefer the album experience to understand the music and I don't have to many musings on this record either. With it not being what I'm used to its hard to find the words to express. One song that really stuck a chord with me was "Changes" with its lyric "Time may change me but I can't change time"... Deep and profound it gave me much to ponder over but then I thought "Ive heard this before!" and it hit me. Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit lifts the line on a track adding a "So fuck it" to the end of Bowie's introspective statement. My teenage self never found any meaning in Fred's butchering of the sentiment, or maybe I was to young to understand it.

To comment on a few other tracks, "Space Oddity" has quite the emotional progression as fictional astronaut "Major Tom" makes his way to the moon, slow, brooding and fragile strings build a subtle tension that blossoms into a moment of wonder with a shift of pace and inclusion of a flute lead, Bowie singing about sitting in a tin can. The guitar then brings a momentary groove to the track before enigmatic strings snap us back to the setting. Its scenic and quite the narrative song with a lot of charm. "Suffragette City" packs a punch with overdriven guitar riffs making quite the racket and jiving piano chords being played with force. Its fast, upbeat and climaxed by a tonal guitar solo in the middle of the track. I really enjoyed this and will continue to listen to more of Bowie's record. Next time it wont be a compilation.

Rating: 8/10