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Written
by Mike Yoder, posted by blog admin
Minneapolis
based band Swallows have been critically acclaimed and made quite an impact in
the folky, old school Americana scene.
Sadly, I haven’t heard any of their music at this point in time. J. Briozo is the moniker of Swallows’
vocalist Jeff Crandall’s solo project. Deep in the Waves is the debut record
and it’s a challenging, enigmatic piece of work that slips in and out of many
different musical styles; sometimes within the confines of a single song.
Crandall’s
got an ear for melody and a mystical songwriting style packed with engaging
hooks that really drag you deep into the music.
Lead-in number “Blind” shines brightly with searing vocals harmonies
drifting over a light foundation of percussion, creeping bass lines, sullen yet
gloriously melodic guitar figures and a feel that’s draped in mystery. It’s just the tip of the iceberg of Deep in the Waves multifaceted aural
explorations.
There’s
really no stone left unturned in terms of the different types of songwriting
that Crandall employs. Several tracks
are based on a smoky vocals blues, luminous acoustic guitar shimmer and a wall
of auxiliary stringed-instruments. Cello,
violin and viola all appear and oftentimes altogether in several of these
sticky acoustic webs; the transcendental atmospherics of the title track come
to mind as well as the simplistic yet absolutely necessary bass grooves and
dusky acoustic licks of “Rain Song” are stellar examples of this mindset. “Blue” and “Santa Cruz” also offer up various
takes on this similar aesthetic.
Crandall’s
not opposed to all out rock n’ roll with a blues foundation either. The hard-driving electrified riffing mingles
with a tough rhythmic backbone, a gospel organ hum and gritty vocals complete
with triumphant harmonies on the infectious “Spinning Out.” Bursts of harmonized leads and winding solo
spires drive home a heady groove and call to mind Lynyrd Skynyrd, Drive by
Truckers and the Outlaws; yielding an edgy tune that never lets up from the
first note to the last. “The Big Parade”
locks onto the same ethic but throws in some prominent slide guitar and horns
for an interesting twist on the sound.
Album endnote “Sun Sun True” also flirts with the same touches yet again
(the horn section returns) but twists any idea of formula by making use of
extensive vocal harmonies that create a choir/chorale effect.
Elsewhere,
Crandall composes his songs with a symphonic/orchestral approach devoid of rock
music and even blues. These alternate
compositions are filled to the brim with immaculate layering of a chamber
string quartet, allow for plenty of powerful vocal melodies and thusly come off
akin to a movie score (see “Firefly” and “Camera Obscura” for perfect
examples).
Overall,
Deep in the Waves is a stunning debut offering that displays Jeff Crandall as a
talented vocalist, instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger and conductor. He knows exactly how to make the songs play
out to his every strength. No two songs
on the record sound exactly alike and the wealth of variety yields an album
that is sure to see multiple appearances on music journalists’ top 10 lists.
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