October 2021 REVIEWS
by Mike Baron
SCOTT GAGNER: Blood Moon
Blood Moon is a deeply personal tone poem born aloft on diaphanous clouds of synthesized strings, performed mostly by Scott with assists from Ken (Posies) Stringfellow and Jesse Chandler on flute. Reminiscent of Lannie Flowers’ Home, it’s emotional and heartfelt, as on “My Shadow,” whose structure and vocals remind me of David Myhr. “My shadow might have had a few, and everyone’s aware. Follows me down the avenue, he follows me everywhere. My shadow orders another round, pretends to take a call. He looks so comfortable stretched out on the ground, where there isn’t as far to fall.”
The ethereal “On the Moon” sounds like a haiku set to music. “Orion” is music drifting from a gothic cathedral. It’s a slow burn album with more layers than an onion. Some of Gagner’s instruments include Argeanelle Wurlitzer, phased strings, whammy strings, glockenspiel, and Jesse Chandler’s flute that brings a chamber music quality to many of the songs. A pulsing bass line anchors the subtle, brooding and seductive “Song For William.” There’s something endearingly seventies about this record, yet it is as modern as tomorrow.
MARC RIBLER: The Whole World Awaits You (Wicked Cool Records)
The Whole World, co-produced by Stevie Van Zandt is a thick layer cake of sound, a tapestry that reveals different colors as the light changes, starting with “The Whole World Awaits You,” which sounds like the best Christian rock you’ve ever heard, all major chords, except for that sinuous, liquid guitar that runs throughout the album like a babbling brook. Flute pierces “War On Peace” like rays of sunshine, while shattered channels Bob Seger, but a more modern Seger. The anthemic “Fly Away” might have come from an early Springsteen record, while “Who Could Ask For Anything More” sounds like Jim Croce meeting Marshall Crenshaw. This is another deeply personal record that doesn’t send jolts up the spine, but seduces with harmonic complexity. Its appeal is emotional, not visceral, and reveals new layers with each listen.
THE LUNAR LAUGH: Nighthawks (Big Stir)
Lunar Laugh has been putting out harmony rich power pop for several years. The Oklahoma City trio consists of Jared Lekites, Connor Anderson and Campbell Young, whose distinctive three-part harmonies light up every track. This is mostly a live recording culled from numerous shows, and highlights their sound better than their three previous studio albums. The first two tracks are studio recorded, but then, Katy bar the door as the live sets take off like a burst of starlings, beginning with “On the Road” and “By the Light of the Living Room,” which have a whiff of the canyon about them, which is to say they smell like patchouli, incense and marijuana, which is to say you can hear echoes of Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joni Mitchell, and the Byrds. Starting with “Winsome,” they run the tracks together like a brightly colored freight train, with a complexity and exuberbance reminiscent of Wanderlust’s recent live set. “Alive” is a case study in how to kick it up a step, and Neil Young’s “Solitary Man” gets the British invasion treatment with overtones of the Kinks and Hollies. With soaring harmonies and good bones, this is their best record yet.
THE BROTHERS STEVE: Dose (Big Stir)
The Brothers Steve take a huge leap forward with their second album, filled with mad pop science, fanning out gorgeous three-part harmonies like a card dealer flashing a deck. Many of these songs feature a capella breaks. They don’t need instruments to get their message out, but when they do, they are reminiscent of the Elvis Brothers and other high-power, high-density bands. “Next Aquarius” contains elements of the Swedish Bookends, who put out one brilliant album. “Mrs. Rosenbaum” verges into XTC territory, while “She Will Wait” is an acoustic charmer with a Beatlesque quality and munchkin vocals. Munchkin vocals can be very bad, but these are very good. “Griffith Observatory” begins with a Four Seasons flourish before settling into visionary power pop with luscious harmonies. Highly recommended.
